The Sweetest Vengeance
by Mysterious Old Guy
Summary: Imagine if Fate tilted its hand a bit. If Kyuubi took a different path than it did. If he knew what would give him the greatest chance at his goals. And, if in his heart, he was a bit of an old softie. M content to later.
1. Kyuubi's Epiphany

_**The Sweetest Vengeance.**_

_**What would have happened, had the Kyubbi really wanted to get back at Minato?**_

_**If he wished to be able to rub his success in the Yondaime's face, and watch him break down, his work undone, and all he held dear taken from him?**_

_**If he had thought it through, and took the least thought-of path available. A path that few dare tread.**_

_** A path filled with pitfalls, and dangers, and at the end, a prize truly worth having.  
**_

_**The path of the Ultimate Revenge.**_

_**In Simple Words...... The Sweetest Vengeance.**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own the work of Kishimoto or Naruto. If I met him, I'd congratulate him for making such a good series, and maybe warn him to tone down Duck-butt a bit. Otherwise, thumbs up. Don't sue me. I'll ignore it.  
**_

_**("Kyuubi Speak"/" Harsh and Pronounced speaking.")  
**_

_(Naruto's thoughts)_

**_(Kyuubi's thoughts)_**

_Chapter 1:_ **The Kyuubi's Epiphany**.

_In one of the orphanages of Konohagakure, the scene taking place is not a promising one. The boy Naruto is feared, and universally hated by the villagers, and some of the ninja. He is beaten and abused. Treated like inhuman scum by those who do not outright assault him. Table scraps, and expired milk are staples of his diet, and moth-eaten sheets his sole protection from the nightly cold._

_Each day, more people grow bolder in their hatred. Poison coats his food like a spice, and his orange clothes mark him, so he cannot hide._

_Returning to the orphanage, we find the manager of the orphanage, and three of his 'assistants__' in the boy's room. His room is separated from the rooms of the other children, and soundproof walls, as well as a re-enforced door denote his room of the passing eye. _

_The sight that greets the Hokage's eye as he soundlessly slips open the door, for a surprise check on the young pariah, does not bode well for the future of those four men......  
_

_**Another day, another beating.**_Thought of the Kyuubi, as it watched through the eyes of its container, idly taking note of the door silently being opened. _**And ****look who's here****, a bit late, I think.**_

The Nine-tailed Fox watched the small boy of 3 toddle backwards, reeling from a blow that would have cracked the skull of a different child. The polished wood of the small club splintered from the force of the hit.

"Damn demon! Why won't you die?!" The man shouted as he swung, again, and again, blows raining down upon the child. Little Naruto clutched his hands and arms around his head. The arms took most of the force. The skin bruised, and underneath it, small cracks began to appear in the bones of the child.

Suddenly, the blows stopped. A massive weight seemed to appear on the chest of the occupants of the room. Heads slowly turned to the elderly man holding the wrist of the man with the club. A silent rictus of pain covered the man's face. The Hokage was squeezing his wrist, wet pops, and several loud cracks washed around the room. With a sharp twist, the Hokage tore the hand from the man's arm. _**"And if your hand should offend ****you, Remove It."**_ He flung the hand to the wall, the wet _smack_ of flesh and bone breaking the silence. The man fell to his knees, screams tearing from his mouth, before they were silenced by the glare sent to him by the Third Hokage. His heart almost stopped at the fear the gaze invoked.

"_Your hand offended me, and so I removed it. **You offend me, so I shall remove you.**_" The Hokage backhanded the man, sending him to the floor. He flicked a finger on his right hand, and four ANBU were in the room, each behind one of the men. The ANBU restrained the men, and at a nod from the Hokage, sent them spiraling into a sleeping oblivion.

The now-handless man stayed awake long enough for the words of the Hokage to reach him. A quiet fury filled his voice. "Take them all to Ibiki. Make them regret their actions, then feed them to the worms. Save the one without a hand for me." The ANBU shivered at the tone in the Hokage's voice. He was truly in a rage. The ANBU flickered and dissapeared with their burdens.

Except for the one which the Hokage stopped, reaching out a hand, and catching him by the scruff of his neck. He leaned down, and spoke into the ear of the ANBU. "Inu, I wish for you to find the ANBU team on duty for tonight. Subdue them, and bring them to Ibiki as well. Do this by any means necessary. Poison, direct combat, I care not. Have them all in the prison before the end of tommorow." He released the ANBU, and Inu dissapeared.

With a weary sigh, the Hokage released his anger, breathing deeply to assist the process. He turned back to the boy, and rage flared once again. Bruises were forming on the arms of the child, huge, purple and red bruises. Beneath the arms, a deep blow had broken his nose, and dented his cheekbone. It would take awhile to heal from this, despite the Fox's healing ability. One of the few blessings of his being a Jinchuriki.

Once again, he silently cursed his inablility to make the village change their view of the boy. What could they possibly see of the Nine-Tails in this small, and fragile child? His whiskers were so barely noticeable, no sane man could take them into account.

The boy quietly began sobbing, now that the bad men were gone. He had kept quiet, so no more bad men would come. But now, he could voice some his pain. The bruising was beginning to turn yellow. Why, he silently asked himself, tears dripping from his cheeks, why does this happen to me? Why do they hit me, why am I called demon? Why am I called Monster, when I walk around?

The boy felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked up, to see the face of the Hokage. Small tears gathered at the corners of his face as well.

A tension that had gone unnoticed in the room broke as the Hokage sunk to his knees and hugged the child.

The boy's sobbing began to slowly cease the front of the Hokage's robes becoming slightly damp as the tears soaked into it.

The hard night sunk into the child, and his body's only recourse, was sleep. Sweet oblivion overcame the child's mind, and he grew still in the Hokage's arms. Calm, even breaths passed through his lips.

The Hokage rose, and cradled the sleeping child in his arms.

With one swift movement, he vanished from sight.

---In the Hokage's Office----

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the child lying asleep in his office. He had nowhere else to put him.

He would find a someplace to place the boy. The Clans avoided him like disease, and no civilian family would take him, for fear of the hatred of the other villagers.

He would have to live on his own, without a family, until...... until he could get one of his own. The thought saddened the Third greatly.

All through the night, he searched Konoha for something the boy could live in, and found an abandoned apartment complex. He put in an order to fix it up, and transported the sleeping boy to his new home.....

---In the abandoned apartment complex-------

The boy slept fitfully on his new bed, the Hokage bringing said bed along with him. He pinned a note to the wall, the note explaining that the apartment was his, and indeed, the entire complex was his to live in. He would send a few people later to fix it up. Utilities and rent would be wished the boy to keep the fact to himself.

Looking down at the child, the man sighed once again at the whims of fate. A whim that had ruined this child as surely as a glass window was ruined when one threw a rock at it.

With this thought in his mind, his image blurred, and he was gone.

* * *

_But sometimes, windows are made of reinforced glass, and pressure from the inside balances out the impact. _

_Fate had plans for this boy, and when a door is closed, sometimes a window opens._

_Fate can be defied, but it would do its damnedest to keep to its schedule, if the villagers would nt support the boy, then it would turn to another pillar of support, hidden in the shadows, and with a careful nudge of its ghostly fingers, it reached out, and touched a mind more powerful than it usually did._....

_ It touched the mind of an ancient vulpine, a certain orange-furred, nine-tailed fox, and moved its mind, stuck in a well-worn rut of revenge, down a slightly different path. _

_------------The mind of Kyuubi--------------------  
_

**_How do I get revenge? _**This thought was the most prominent in the fox's mind. Plans of how to break free, and how to either eat the boy, and the village, or kill the by, and destroy the village, abounded.

The nudge pushed the focus of the mind to a different set of thoughts. The fox began to speak to itself, an action it used to retain its sanity.

_**Y'know, seeing the boy beaten like that used to fun, but its getting old. ****Not to mention I have to repair the damage.**** Something must be done.**_

_**And seeing as how I want to make this pitiful village pay for this indignation, how should I accomplish this?**_

The great beast looked into its mind, and _remembered._

_ Cycling past its memories of the world. Sorting through events is had seen and caused. Witnessed and participated in._

_Books it had read, and written, stories it had heard, and re-told. It sought knowledge, and its tireless search was rewarded._

_Drip, drip drip drip. The incessant dropping of the sewer water distracted him, and in that moment, Fate struck._

_A lighting bolt hit Kyuubi's mind. Knowledge blossomed, and a plan was laid out. So skillfully, so well-planned, so **devious**, it could be nothing but his own work.  
_

_On the inside of its mind, it crowed in delight, and inside the cage in the mind of the boy, a deep sound came forth._

_**"Ku ku ku ku ku. !**_

_**Its so simple! How did I not think of this before? Its fulfilling, and kind, cruel, and just so...... Me!**_

_**HAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHH!"**_

_The fox took a moment and voiced its plan. A plan so simple, so devious, so unthinkable, that no-one would expect it._

_**"I shall make the boy my son. Mine in body and soul. I shall bind him to me, and when he come of age, he shall destroy the village. And while he lives, he will willingly search for a way to release me. And when I take my next trip to the Ether, I shall rip his soul from the Shinigami's stomach, and point down to the mortal realm, and force him to watch as his son wreaks destruction upon the race of humanity, mock him, then I shall toss him back into its mouth.**  
_

_**For now I shall wait. When the opportunity ty present itself, I shall find a way to intrigue him. Children are naturally curious. I shall make him bridge our minds. And then I shall begin turning him to my point of view. With his experiences, it shall take little to convince him to accept me. I may not be his biological father, but I shall be even better. After all, I shall not leave him, no matter the case. I couldn't, even if I wished to. "**_

And so the Nine-tails waited for the moment in which it could advance its plan.

-------------------------------------------_  
_

_Fate left its mind, secure in the knowledge that certain events would occur, and that its task was complete._

_For now._

* * *

Authors note.

I'm fairly new here, and if you cared to look at my profile, you'd see what my goals are.

I intend to update this story every so often.

Some you might notice the Hokage is a bit more.... strong-willed in this fic. That's because he is. This is what he should have been. I intend to remake him as he should have been. Strong, Charismatic, and above all. _**Badass**_.

He is the stongest ninja in the village, he should damn well act like it.

Flame me if you must, but I'll probably ignore it.


	2. Birthday Surprise!

_**Disclaimer: I don't own the work of Kishimoto or Naruto. If I met him, I'd congratulate him for making such a good series, and maybe warn him to tone down Duck-butt a bit. Otherwise, thumbs up. Don't sue me. I'll ignore it.**_

_Chapter 2_:_** Birthday Surprise!**_

Kyuubi waited quietly for his chance, and it would come, just not immediately.

But soon, the chance would appear.

Meanwhile, young Naruto woke, and sat up in his bed. The note caught his eye. He took it down, and scratched his head. He couldn't read it. He was scared in this new place, and naturally, he left. He crawled down the stairs, not quite ready to walk down them.

Once he got to the bottom, he stood up, and began precariously walking toward the tallest building in the village, the Hokage's tower.

Trash and various broken bottle littered the road behind him, thrown by several civilians. The bottle-throwers were spirited away by black-clad figures, shortly after Naruto passed them.

Finally he reached the Tower, the guards nervously letting him through, after seeing several shadowy figures fingering kunai out of the corners of their eyes.

He climbed the stairs, and made his way to the office of the Hokage. He pushed the door open, and teetered in. The Hokage was currently surrounded by a mountain of paperwork, tax forms and petitions balance uneasily at the top, ready to slide down at any moment.

Naruto walked over and held up the note. "Ji-ji, what's this?" He asked curiously. He never used many honorifics with the Hokage.

The Hokage was still for a moment, then softly cursed. _Damn! He can't read! Even the teachers at the school have neglected him! Now I have to go through them too._

He sighed and took the note. "It means that both that bed, and that apartment, is yours now. You can live in it, and you won't have to be in that oprhanage anymore."

The boy's eyes widened. "You mean....... I have my own home? I don't have to stay... there?! Thank you! _Thank you!!_" He hugged the Hokage's leg, from where Sarutobi was sitting in a chair.

Startled, the Hokage sat back a little, then leaned forward and gave him a quick hug back. "You're welcome, Naruto. Now, its time to get you settled in. I'll assign some people to move your belongings to your new home."

"Ji-ji, what are 'belongings'?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Belongings, are things that are yours, shoes, shirts, clothes toys....." He hokage began, before noticing Naruto's nervous silence.

"S-S-Sorry, Ji-ji, but I don't have any of those." Naruto answered haltingly.

The Hokage fumed quietly. He then rose from the chair and led Naruto from the room.

"We are going to fix that."

* * *

The first store that tried to cheat Naruto out of money on clothes, was the recipient of an intense glare from the Hokage, who was following behind him.

Naruto, the innocent he was, didn't pick it up. The merchant, however, nearly dropped to the floor, but clutched his heart anyway. ANBU would have a meeting with him, fairly soon.

Word spread quickly, and at the next store, people began treating Naruto with a bit more couth, he actually got a clean pair of clothes. And he bought a great many of them.

The only catch?

_They were the orange jumpsuits._

The colors nearly burned the Hokage's vision. But he put up with them. If the boy wanted orange, he could get orange.

Ji-ji? What do the people not throw things at you and try to make you go away, they don't even look.... badly.. at you." Naruto asked, fishing for the last words, and being unable to find it.

Startled at the question, Sarutobi answered. "Because I am the Hokage, the strongest ninja in the village. They treat me with respect, they have to."

Naruto stayed silent for a second, then pumped his fist into the air. "Then that what I want to be, the Hokage, I 'll make everyone notice me, and respect me, believe it!"

The Hokage chuckled and patted him on the head. "I just bet you will. But if you want to be Hokage, you have to be a ninja. The strongest ninja, and if you want to be a ninja, you'll have to start early. And you'll have to learn how to read to get the information. For now, why don't start reading, before you try out the ninja stuff."

"Alright Ji-ji, that's what I'll do, and someday, I'll get that hat from you, too. Believe it!" Naruto cheered.

* * *

Naruto scurried home, clothes in hand, and food, as well as a few toys. He nimbly dodged the few broken pieces of wood and bottle thrown at him, and heaved the stuff up the stairs. He set about making the apartment fit his needs.

Ramen container quickly filled the cupboards, and a small fridge had been moved into the room.

Outside on the branch, an undercover ANBU agent sat, whittling a wooden stick. A senbon sat in his mouth, and his brown hair rested against the back of the tree. An unusual way of tying made his fore-head protector unreadable from the front.

"Cushy job, this is." He muttered, and continued whittling. He had been assigned to make sure that no-one attacked the boy while he slept.

Or in case he locked himself in the fridge. (Cookie if you can guess who this is.)

* * *

It is now several years later. Naruto is now six, and the security guard that watches over Naruto had been periodically relaxed, only to be re-justified.. He lives fairly well, as well as he can, when store owners refuse to sell him much except for ramen, and orange jumpsuits, something beaten into them by repeated visits from both Hokage and Naruto himself.

It was on his sixth birthday that the fox's chance appeared.

The team that had been watching him had gone out for lunch, and the Hokage had forgotten to schedule a replacement.

As luck would have it, it was that day that Naruto had run out of ramen, and had gone out to retrieve more.

October 10th, the day of the Fox's defeat and subsequent sealing, was a bad day for the sealed child to be out and about.

Naruto was a bit surprised to see the flags and banners all around. The Hokage, always cautious before this, had made sure that he never went out during this particualr time.

He was right not to.

Naruto had walked through the center of the festival, silence surrounding him, the voice previously raised in jubilation falling silent at the sight of the small figure.

A small group of people began following him.

He had reached the middle of the festival, when he began to look around. He saw pictures of a giant fox, and a tall golden-haired man.

The pictures of the fox were covered in slash wounds, and the golden-haired man's pictures had flowers around them.

He hadn't seen these often before, only small poster of the fox shoved under his door, or thrown through the windows at night.

Curious, he stopped walking, and asked the people around him, "Who are those?"

A sudden wall of flesh surrounded him, words whispered, and then spoke openly._** "Demon, Fox-boy, Monster,**_

_** "Beast. Nine-tails, Animal."**_

_** "Abomination, Freak." **_

_**"Fiend, Monstrosity, Atrocity."**_

_**'Monster."**_

And the knives came out.

Naruto backed away at the sudden wall of steel gleaming in front of him, only to feel the point of a knife on his shoulder.

_"Monster."_

He jumped forward, as a knife plunged into his back, lodging against the bone,

The wall took a step forward, further enclosing the distance,

_**"Monster."**_

Another step.

_"Abomination."_

A knife stick his shoulder, the edge glancing off the bone.

**_"Fiend."_**

Two knives lodged in his belly.

_**"Animal."**_

Blood dripped down the hilt of the knives, and began to pool around him.

Another step, and they were within five feet of him.

_"DEMON!"_

_A knife flew out and stuck in his chest._

_**DEMON!**_

**_Another step, and they were all within reaching distance._**

**_A solid wall of steel impacted on the boy, nearly every inch cutting and stabbing into him._**

**_The boy screamed, an unearthly wail that reached across the villages, and hit the ears of one Sarutobi Hiruzen, alerting him to the fact , that something was very, very wrong._**

**_Their vengeance denied for so long, the villagers took it all at once._**

**_And why they stepped back, all that was left of the boy was a bloody husk, his entire body a giant wound, not an inch of un-hurt skin remained. Punctures spread from his head to the littlest toe on his right foot. _**

**_And the blood...._**

**_It covered everything, the boy seemed to have an endless supply of it. Even now, it seeped from his body._**

**_A single villager stepped up , and he began to repeatedly stab the body, in the legs._**

**_In the next instant, he was incinerated by a Katon jutsu._**

**_As the ash faded from where the man had stood, another man stood in his place, leaning over the boy, liquid streaming form his eyes, desperately feeling for a pulse. "No, no, you can't be.... if only I'd heard faster, I would've been here sooner..." _**

**_Nothing._**

**_No pulse._**

**No pulse.**

**_Nothing._**

**_The eyes showed a blank, staring gaze. Lifeless._**

**_Dead._**

**_He had never realized how much Naruto had meant to him, until this moment. He was a like a grandson. A beloved member of his family, someone in his personal circle of loved ones, a boy who would one day surpass him._**

**_And now, he was a cold corpse on street._**

**_Because of them. Them.  
_**

Sarutobi turned to the villagers, death in his gaze, destruction in every motion.

A quick sign, and Emna appeared by him, observing the scene, and wordlessly transferring to a staff form. This was not a time to argue with Sarutobi.

The first villager to twitch, was impaled on the staff, the next had the top of his head taken off by the other end.

A third was bludgeoned into a wall with the corpse of the first.

Sarutobi slung the staff into the air, and his fingers moved in blurs, jutsu signs streaming from them like water from a river.

Katon, Raiton, Suiton, and Doton erupted from around him, the waves sweeping the villagers onto spikes of earth, and flames reached those that were not electrocuted.

It was slaughter.

A lone ANBU Captian reached the corpse of the boy, and reached down to carry him away.

He had him over his shoulder, when he felt the first soft movements.....

_Pulse_

_....._

_Pulse..._

**_Thump._**

**_The heart began to beat strongly._**

**_The boy was alive. _**He groaned out as the shifting movements of the ANBU irritating the wounds.

And he almost dropped the boy there, as red chakra began to bleed from his wounds.

**_"SIR! HE"S ALIVE!"_** The captain called out, his dog-faced mask cracking a bit from the elements in play.

Sarutobi turned to him, murder in his eyes, before he spotted the body, a red aura around it.

His mind connected the dots. Dead bodies did not show chakra. Therefore Naruto was not dead. He was alive.

And severely wounded.

He pushed aside the ANBU, and knelt down, hands just barely in front of the red chakra,

"Get me a medic, a doctor, get me a first aid specialist, I don't care, just get someone who knows what's going on here!" He screamed out. The he picked up the boy, ignoring the burning red chakra, and jumped onto the nearest roof, heading for the hospital.

_

* * *

_

_**Several hours later.**_

_

* * *

_

"How is he healing, doctor?" The dog-masked ANBU asked, since the Hokage was silent.

"Honestly, I couldn't tell you. When you brought him here I thought that he was already dead. An hour ago, I would've told you he'd never move again. Now..."

The doctor shrugged. "I'm not sure. He could be up and running in a month, at the rate he is going, or he could be walking in a week. With his healing rate, I can't tell."

The ANBU nodded. "Thank you doctor. Now, what exactly happened with the red chakra. I can still sense it in the next room."

The doctor shrugged once again. "Once again, I'm not completely sure. It seems to be healing him, but I have not an inkling as to what else it does."

"Keep him under watch. If something strange starts happening, send out a messenger." The ANBU, by the name of Inu, said. He and the Hokage began to walk away.

" What do you mean, 'strange'?" The doctor queried.

"If you see it, you'll know." Inu said, and the Hokage left the building, Inu quickly following.

* * *

Sarutobi stood in front of the Hokage Tower. He had been in mental funk fro the last several hours, the shock of seeing Naruto dead, and the come to life, and he himself killing dozens of villagers.....

He needed a rest, a good, long nap. The Council could go ^#& itself. If they had a problem they could absolutely not deal with, they could come stand by his bedside and wait for him to wake up.

With that firm deliberation in mind, he began a brisk stride toward his house.

* * *

_**Deep inside Naruto's mind......**_

Naruto woke up in an unblemished body.

The last, blinding moments of consciousness had left him with the impression that he would wake up with anything _but_ an unblemished body.

He was inside a sewer. Alright, he had explored sewers before. He could probably find his way out of this one, he'd been dumped in sewers before, all you had to do was follow the ceiling until you came to the manhole....

He looked up, intent on finding the manhole cover when....

He got his first hint that this wasn't a real sewer.

_There was no roof._

Just some pipes streching off into blackness.

_This was not good._

_Not good at all._

He turned around, frantically trying to see if there was a roof in the opposite direction....

_And came face to face with the largest creature he had ever seen._

The fox was lying down, one of its closed eyes nearly the length and breadth of Naruto himself.

Its head turned a bit to the side, and its tongue lolled out, licking across its gargantuan teeth.

A massive red eye popped open, transfixing Naruto to the spot he was in.

And with a deep rumble, the Nine-tailed Fox, The Kyuubi, A being who could raise mountains across the landscape, and send tidal waves crashing upon coasts with a moments effort, spoke.

_**"Well, that was a bit of a fucked up birthday surprise, wasn't it?"**_


	3. This Old Fox

_**Disclaimer: I don't own the work of Kishimoto or Naruto. If I met him, I'd congratulate him for making such a good series, and maybe warn him to tone down Duck-butt a bit. Otherwise, thumbs up. Don't sue me. I'll ignore it.**_

_**"Well, that was a bit of a fucked up birthday surprise, wasn't it?"**_

The Fox asked.

Naruto stood as still as he possibly could, his primal instincts telling him not to move, so that the creature in front of him would not eat him.

Naruto slowly nodded. "Y-Yeah."

The other eye of the fox cracked open.

**_"Perhaps I have a better one for you."_**

The fox yawned, and then asked in a bored tone. **_"I don't suppose you know who I am?"_**

The boy shook his head. "I-I don't, I think I saw some posters of you earlier, though. I-I just finished learning to read, and I couldn't make out the s-symbols."

The Fox stared at him. It was creeping him out.

**_"Could you stop stuttering? It is annoying." _**

Naruto found himself nodding, and the cleared his mind with a small shake of his head. "I-I would, its just that you're so...._Big. _Its hard to concentrate when somethign is telling me to run away."

The Fox nodded. **_"Forgot about that, my apologies."_**

He closed his eyes, and a deep rumbling sound began in his chest. Naruto simply stood speechless, The fox had apologized to him? _Him!?_

He looke dback at the fox to ask it why it apologized, to him of all people, and the question died in his mouth.

_The fox was shrinking._

It grew smaller and smaller.

Soon, its head was about the size of his body, then it stopped.

At least it didn't look like it could eat him like a bon-bon anymore.

His stuttering stopped. He took a deep breath.

"So, why am I here? And who exactly are you?"

The Fox sat up, its nine tails wreathing the air behind it, and peered down at him.

**_"Last question first. I am the Kyuubi no Kitsune. The Nine-tailed Fox. I have many title, but you may call me two of them, and one of that two will depend on this conversation. For now, you may call me Kyuubi. AS for your first question, I brought you here to give you a choice."_**

Naruto looked up at him, carefully choosing his words. " A choice, for what?"

The fox idly scratched one of his paws with the other.

**_"Kit, right now, you are practically dead." _**He drove on past the sudden groan from the boy. "Damn."  
**_"But, you have two choices. Both will enable you to live again, and both will enable you to go about your life as you normally would."_**

The Fox paused here.

**_"Before you make you decision, however, I wish you to know two things, things that msut be said, so that the relationship we both share will start out in the open."_**

**_"Bad news first. I am the reason that you are hated." _**Kyuubi waited for the inevitable.

"WHAT!? WHY!?" Naruto shouted out, suddenly filled with fury. "How do you make them hate me from here!?"

The Kyuubi held out a paw.

**_"I did not say I 'make' them hate you. They simply hate _me, _and since I am inside you, the see you as the next best thing."_**

"Wait." Naruto said, "What do you mean, 'inside me', where are we?" The fox reached out and poked Naruto in the head with a tail, with no intent to cause harm, the seal let it pass. "We are currently in your head." He poked his stomach with a different tail, **_"I am sealed in here."_**

"Alright, then..... why do they hate you?" Naruto asked warily. He still did not trust the fox.

**_"They hate me, because I attacked the village, and killed a great many of them, including that man on the poster you saw earlier. Or rather, he killed himself to seal me."_**

"Then.... then why didn't he kill you?" Naruto asked, feeling mixed emotions at the minute, "And why did you attack the village?"

_**"He didn't kill me, because no-one can kill me." **_The Fox said. **_"And as for why I attacked the village..." _**A tail reached out and wrapped around Naruto's waist. It lifted him up and set him down to the left, a few feet away.

**_"Why are you there?" _**The Fox asked.

"Because you moved me......" Naruto paused, mulling the answer, and the implications it had.

"Are you saying someone _made _you attack the village?" Naruto asked.

The Kyuubi eyed him approvingly. **_"Not as stupid as some other humans. Yes, a man named Uchiha Madara forced me to attack, twice. This time, he took into account that your leader was more..... knowledgeable than most humans. He could have defeated Madara in his weakened condition, wounded from his fight with your first leader. Powerful human, that one. He distracted Madara enough for me to break free of his Mangekyou Sharingan, and I repaid, the favor, stripping Madara of most of his defenses, allowing him to be wounded unto death. He didn't die, unfortunately, and Madara was far more careful the second time. He surprised me and forced me to attack, but I was defeated, and sealed."_**

Naruto thought for a second. "Uchiha.... Wasn't that the clan that almost got wiped out a few month ago? Yeah, I think that's it."

**_The Kyuubi stood absolutely still for a second. "They were 'almost' wiped out? How many are left?"_**

Naruto answered. "Only one, I think. Uke-something. Uchiha Sasuke, yeah, duck-butt." He chuckled.

Kyuubi raised what passed for its eyebrow. _**" 'Duck-butt?' Do tell."**_

"The back of his head looks like a duck's backside, so that's what I call him. Everyone else seems to like him though, and either call him, Uchiha-san, or even even Uchiha-sama. I don't see why. He's a prick. I bet _he_ never had to dodge broken bottles."

**_"Hmmmm. Okay. Well, now that you know something about me, and know that I killed a whole bunch of those people, how do you feel about me?"_**

The Kyuubi was a tad nervous, here was a critical point, it could not afford to mess this part up.

Naruto screwed up his eyes, thought for abit, and the looked at the Fox. "Honestly? I don't really like the fact I have been hated all my life because of you. But you were forced to attack, and that takes away alot of the blame. You seem nice too, at least, to me. Which is always a good thing, since almost no-one else is."

A small, forlorn chuckle escaped from his lips.

"And, we both have something in common." Naruto smiled sadly. "We're both...... monsters."

Kyuubi snorted. _**" Both 'Monsters'? Kit, I'll admit I look like a monster, huge, powerful, and scary. Now look at yourself. Are you huge? "**_

Naruto looked a bit puzzled at the question. "No."  
_**  
Kyuubi pressed on. "Are you very powerful?"**_

Naruto looked down. "No, no I'm not."

_**Kyuubi relented a bit. "Are you scary?"**_

Naruto fidgeted, tears beginning to leak from his eyes, as he remembered his reactions with most people he met. "Well, people run away when I come near, and take their kids away, and even throw things at me. They scream and call for the ninjas. Sometimes the ninja just tell me to go away, sometimes the ninja who are watching over me appear in front of me when they walk toward me. Other times...." He sniffed a bit "I wake up in a white room with a strange blonde man with a long ponytail. He always has his hands in a strange seal." He crudely demonstrated the Yamanaka family special seal.

_**"Hmm. Don't know what the hell that is, but **__I_ remember what happened during those times they weren't driven off. Its a good thing you don't." The Fox thought for a second.

_**"Now the difference in between them running from you, and running from me is quite simple.**** Me, they hate and fear. You, they simply hate. They have no compunction about hurting you, simply for the reason you could not fight back. They know if they attempted the same thing with me, I would simply eat them."**_

Naruto flinched. "So, what you're saying is..... all this happened, because I was weak? That can't be true."

_**"Yes and no. True, this and many other incidents in the past could have been avoided if you were simply able to rip them all apart. No, because if you had been able to do so, they would have hired someone much more skilled, to simply cut off your head while you sleep. Someone better th****an they usually do, anyway. You could be strong, but not **_**strong. _So much difference in meaning with the exact same word._**_** Strength is like the ability to rips someone in half. **_**Strength_ is declaring that anyone who sets a foot onto your property, dies, no matter their numbers. And the power and fortitude to carry the promise out. When I was out, I had _strength_. If you had sent a thousand men against me, you might as well have sent one. And even I know people stronger than me, like Kami (God), or those who have a certain trick which can defeat me, Madara, The Yondaime, even the First Hokage had a specific ability to control most Biju. _**

**_So, in a way, your weakness saved you. You were small, not a threat, and so those who did not have your best interest at heart, ignored you. Another thing in common between us, it seems. You instinctively acted like a fox, staying low, out of sight, avoiding the hunters by simply not drawing attention, even at your small age. Impressive, it saved your life."_**

"So, you're saying, I acted like an animal, even from a young age?" Naruto was a bit hurt. He had been called animal, and beast, as well.

_**"Kit, when a human wishes to compliment another, they often compare them to animals.**_

'_**As strong as a bear.' **_

_**'As fierce as a tiger.' **_

_**'As clever as a fox.'**_

_**So in a way, by referring to you as a beast, you could take it as a sort of.... back-handed compliment."**_

The Kyuubi absently groomed one of its tails.

_**"Back to your memories, I believe they were sealed away. I could release them, but it would cause you tremendous pain."  
**_

_**"I could just leave those memories alone, and spare you from them, do you wish this?**_" The Kyuubi asked.

The boy wiped a hand across his eyes, drying some tears. He stood straight. He had some pride. He never backed down from what life gave him. No matter how painful.

"No. I want my memories, no matter how painful. They are still a part of me, and mine. I won't have part of me taken away just to spare some pain." He said loudly.

_**"If you wish this done, you must come through the bars. I cannot do anything that would directly affect your mind, past this seal. I give my word as a fox that I will d nothign more than release your memory."**_

Naruto as being cautious, and slowly crept into the cage, ready to jump back out of it. The fox hadn't done anything to suggest it wanted to hurt him, but you never knew...

He stepped into the cage, and waited.

Ever so slowly, one of the Fox's tails moved toward him, and then touched his head, red energy coming off it, and funneling into him. A small pain started, nothing he couldn't handle, then it began to build. Eventually, it felt as if a red-hot poker was against his head. He finally screamed out, and the seal on his memories broke.

Images began to stream into his mind.

Himself, a year younger bruises and burns all over, the area around him distorted and burned. An asasination attempt, fought off by the ANBU assigned to him.

Three years earlier, and he was in a hospital, covered in blood. An attack on his apartment by a horde of angry villagers, most held off by the protecting ANBU, but some managed to slip through.

Nearly countless other memories streamed past, each ending the same way.

In a room with the blond-ponytailed-man. His hands would come up in that seal, and everything would turn white.

He collapsed backward, and nearly screamed, this time in anger. "Why!? Why would they do this!? I have a right to my experiences! No matter how painful! They should never have taken this away without my saying so."

The fox looked..... oddly at him. It tilted its head to the left, keeping its eyes on him.

**_"Strange.... most humans would rather spare themselves the pain of remembering."_**

Naruto shook his head. "No matter if its painful, my memories are still part of me, they are precious. I never let something precious to me go, not without a fight! Believe it!"

Kyuubi let out a coughing sound, which Naruto eventually began to realize was a .... laugh.

**_He eventually stopped, a small wheezing sound signaling the cease. "It seems we are more like than I thought. I have a similar view. If something is mine, I will destroy countries to protect it. Indeed, you have more of me in you than I had thought."_**

Naruto stepped back. "What do you mean, I 'have more of you in me'. I am actually a demon? Is what they did to me... right?"

**_"No. It is not. And, No, you are not. You are currently a human, and will most likely stay a human for the forseeable future. I have examined the seal that was put on you, and deduced that it was meant to merge my power with yours. Eventually giving you, my power. That act alone would not make you a demon, simply a human with enormous power. Unfortunately, my power does not act so docilely. It would warp and change you, until you were of a more worthy form , perhaps one resembling myself. When one gives a human absolute power, he will change from what he was. For better or worse, he will change. It is the rare individual who becomes more that he was, rather than simply more powerful. Those who gain power, often decide to fulfill their whims, and become little more than an avatar for their various hungers. Hunger for power, money and others. And when one had fulfilled those wishes, he hungers for something else, excitement. We might discuss this later, but for now, we have another matter to converse over. _**  
**_I see you have another question."_**

Naruto had been waiting for him to stop speaking. "Well, about your first question, you said I'm basically dead, so, what is point of this?"

**_"I never said you are dead, I said you were very close to death. I can, and have been healing you. You will live."_**

Naruto stood silent, and then almost jumped with joy...... before stopping without warning. "Since I remember about the other stuff now, I remember being wounded almost as bad as this. I saw somebody this badly wounded, and they died almost immediately. Why are you healing me?"

Kyuubi nodded, expecting the question.**_ "I healed you, partly because if you die, I die. More so, because it is quite unfair that you should die just because people hate me. I may not be the most inclined toward goodness, but I have a sense of honor, as does any Gentlefox." _**

"Gentle-fox?" The term confused him.

**_"Humans call it being a Gentleman. Turtles call it Gentleturtle. Each race has its own name for it. It is a certain... 'class' that one has. A sense of honor and propriety, adhering to a code, no matter the circumstance. It is a hard path, and few follow it. It has benefits and detriments, and it is a way of life. It is rarely taken in this day and age, most not thinking ahead enough to realize it is the best path. Short-term satisfaction is usually much more gratifying to them." _**Kyuubi lectured.

"That's confusing. Anyway, what was the choice that you said you brought me here for?"

_**"Originally, it was a debt of honor. I had decided that to compensate for the reaction my presence has caused, I should offer something. Now, after our conversation, I have seen how alike we are. I shall do it freely. "**_

"But what could you offer me? You live inside of me." Naruto said.

_**"There is one thing, I **_**can**_** offer." **_The Kyuubi lowered its head, until his eyes were staring directly into Naruto's own.

_**"I offer something you never had before." **_Kyuubi said.

_**"I offer it in a question." **_Kyuubi softened it gaze.

_**"Would you accept this old fox as your father?"**_

Naruto's eyes bulged, almost bursting from his head.

His surprise was complete, and his reaction dumbfounded. His response loud, matching the Kyuubi's volume.

_**"What did you say!?"**_

_

* * *

_

_**AHA! Cliffhanger!!**_

_**Will it happpen, will it not?**_

_**Can this be ging too fast, or way too slow!?**_

_**Either way, its not done yet!**_

_**I intend to keep updating, and I am slowly growing in proficiency as we progress. I now have 3,000 and a bit in thei chapter, rather than my original 2,000.**_

_**Review! I like reviews!  
**_


	4. Acceptance

_**Disclaimer: I don't own the work of Kishimoto or Naruto. If I met him, I'd congratulate him for making such a good series, and maybe warn him to tone down Duck-butt a bit. Otherwise, thumbs up. Don't sue me. I'll ignore it.**_

* * *

_**"Would you accept this old fox as your father?"**_

_Naruto's eyes bulged, almost bursting from his head._

_His surprise was complete, and his reaction dumbfounded. His response loud, matching the Kyuubi's volume._

___**"What did you say!?"**_

_**

* * *

  
**_

_**"**__I said, '_Would you accept this old fox as your father?' "

_"But why?! Why?!?" _Naruto shouted.

_**"Why?  
**_

_**Why would I offer something like this?**_

_**Why am I not not being a bloodthirsty animal, like I am supposed to be?**_

_**Why do I not treat you like the humans do?**_

_**All these questions and more, are going through your head.**_

_**Why? Because I'm the Goddamn Kyuubi, and I do what I wish to do."**_

The Kyuubi pointed a claw at the boy.

_**"And what I **_**want**_** to do, kit, is be your father.**_

_**Will you accept?"**_

"I-I don't know. I've never had a father, before, and no-one has cared enough to ever be one...." Naruto said, still confused at this.

Nothing like this had ever happened to him, or even any of the other kids he had spied upon. Never. No-one could possibly want to be his father...

Kyuubi interrupted his line of thought.

_**"Then I will be the first. And hopefully, all that you need." **_ The giant fox said.

"I've never had one before...... How does it work?" Naruto asked.

Kyuubi was a bit nonplussed, he had never actually had a kit before.

**_"From human interaction, I would assume that I teach, and support you, give you some encouragement, and help you in your endeavors.' _**He nervously scratched his ear with his hind-paw.

"And what do I do?"

_**"From, what I've seen, the child gives the parent a hug. I really don't know what else happens."**_

"That seems kind of one-sided."

_**"Perhaps, I don't know exactly what happens."**_

"Well, shall we try it?"

_**"I suppose so."**_

Naruto slipped through the bars, and hugged the Kyuubi's neck.

Kyuubi was startled, then when Naruto's face was out of sight, his face curved into a devilish smile.

His plan was working.

But even Kyuubi failed to see his eyes soften when he looked at the boy, or his evil grin settle into merely a happy smile.

**_"Now that that matter is settled, son, I am going to bring up the second decision."_**

"And which one is that."

_**"You know what the villagers did to you, yes?"**_  
"They stabbed me alot."

_**"Yes, alot."  
"Almost an understatement, they stabbed and slashed almost every inch of you, I am currently keeping you alive, and will continue to do so, I'm even working on repairing your body."**_

_**"Now for your decision, what do you wish me to do with your body? I can make it better, I'm working from the base up. I can make you tougher, your muscles heavier, and your bones denser,"**_  
"....... Could you make me stronger and faster too?"

_**"No, I cannot. You will have to train your muscles to be strong, I can't simply make you able to lift a boulder overnight, or break the air with a punch* (Breaking the sound barrier.) You will have to build yourself up to to that."**_

"But you can make me tougher?"

_**"Yes."**_

"Then... thanks, but no, dad, I want to grow strong through my own means. I won't owe my success to someone else. I have some pride in myself." Naruto said, fist clenching at his own words. He closed his eyes, and breathed deeply.

"Dad... The word sounds strange."

_**"To myself as well, but I think we'll get used to it."**_

"Yeah.. I think so too... Dad."

* * *

In the hospital, Naruto's room.

A concussive impact sounded throughout the hospital.

The doctors came to investigate, and what they found was something they never could have expected.

They found the bed the boy was sleeping on, with the legs blown out from under it, and the boy floating in the air a foot above it, his only support, a red aura of chakra around him.

A feeling of intense fear and outright terror came over them as the aura washed over them.

The I.V. line was attached, and under stress, the bag that was supposed to have lasted the entire week was almost empty, and the body of Naruto was showing signs of highly accelerated healing.

The nurse quickly went out of the room, and came back with another bag to refill it. The doctors watched as the body of the boy began to regenerate, muscles knitting themselves back together, bones coming back together, and skin growing from the body. Soon, the second bag was empty, and the boy was beginning to look human once again, The third bag was slurped down, and all hi muscles were back together. The fourth bag, and skin began to appear on his body. After the fifth bag, the boy lay on the bed, slightly emancipated, but looking as if he had not had a knife through practically every part of his body.

The doctors called in the messenger, and sent a missive to the Hokage, a moot point, because by the time the message was in the man's hand, the Hokage was in the Hospital, investigating the source of the energy.

The majority of the villages Jonin followed him. Along with Kurenai, and Kakashi, was the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, Inoichi, Shikaku, and Choza. Some clan leaders came to investigate as well, including Shibi Aburame, Tsume Inuzuka,Hiashi Hyuga.

All in all, the room and the tree branch outside the window were very crowded.  
All complaints, however, were silenced when the red chakra pulsed.  
Shibi's bugs began acting wild, a loud buzzing sound emanating from his body. Tsume's companion Kuromaru, shrank back, primal instincts advising the dog to make itself as small as possible. Hiashi Hygua activated his Byakugan, and then clutched his eyes as felt them almost seared from his head when he looked at it the chakra.  
The other Jonin began to draw weapons, but Sarutobi stopped the motion with a wave of his hand.  
"Be still." he said.

Without warning, the chakra drew into itself, forming a tight barrier around Naruto. It contracted, until it was concentrated on the seal on the boy's belly.

Then it exploded. The shock-wave blew out the window, and the I.V that was connected to the boy's vein was thrown out of the body with such force as to shatter against the wall.

And as suddenly as it began, it ended. The power dissipated, and Naruto's dropped down onto the leg-less bed.

Sarutobi took out a pipe. "Doctors, check him, I want to know if anything abnormal has occurred. Muscle density, vestigial growths, if he starts growing fur, _I want to know._"

He sat down in a nearby chair. "Jonin, Clan leaders, I don't see you need to be here. It would be most efficient if you were to return to your duties."

The assembled ninja nodded, and left.

The doctors began checking over the body, and various medical ninja began performing deep-body scans.

------------------  
Time-Skip

3 Days Later........

The Hokage was sitting in his office when the medical report on Naruto came to him.

_The Jinchuriki known as Naruto Uzumaki was found to have suffered sever lacerations and punctures, including but not limited to; torso, arms, legs, head, multiple internal organs.... Initial observations were of mild surprise that the boy was not already dead, but following hours began to disprove our initial suppositions, we proceeded to....._

_Blahblahblahyadayadadayada................._

_... cellular regeneration. In short, the boy has been almost completely healed. We expect him to be out and walking in half a week, and able to speak in two days._

_-Medical Ninja, #3rd Class._

"Well, that's good news." Sarutobi said to himself. "I think I should go visit him when he can speak. Try and convince him not to take this incident and keep it close to his heart. Otherwise, he could hold his anger toward the people responsible in, and begin to have hatred against the entire village. Though he did have the right to do so, it was also the Hokage's job to protect the village. If his personal feelings contradicted that....... He gave a deep sigh. The village came first. Personal feeling would have to take backseat. There was paperwork to do, and if the village was to run, he could not keep taking breaks.

* * *

(Far across the village, in a secret bunker.)

Danzo looked incredulously at the report a masked ninja in black handed him. He almost screamed. "WHAT!?!? Sarutobi actually killed some of the villagers!!!? Inconceivable!" He began to wrestle himself back into composure. "Perhaps, I have misjudged the old fool. He never demonstrated to me the willingness to begin a massacre....... unless it was essential for the village. And even then I had to bring the Council, and even evidence. Is it truly possible that he has merely been hiding his nature from me, and all the rest. I must make...... changes, and take this into account." He looked to the masked ninja. "Torune. Your task is to watch this child. Keep out of sight of the guards Sarutobi will put on the boy after this incident. Take Fu with you as well. I want an investigation done of the boy's mind. Find out anything pertinent. Dismissed." The black-clad ninja walked out of the room. He walked toward the exit, and informed his blond-haired comrade what their new task was to be.

* * *

(At the hospital)

The guard on the branch outside the hospital window slumped over. Torune's chakra eating bugs began to crawl off him, and back onto Torune. They slipped into the hospital room, and quietly set a sound barrier against the walls.

Torune stood guard, while Fu prepared the seal.

The coast was clear.

Fuu made the seal, and slumped forward onto the bed. Torune kept up his guard. No Konoha guards were near, but chances were not to be taken with this assignment.

* * *

Inside Naruto's mind.

Fu appeared inside a great sewer, water pooling around his ankles. He looked left and right, into the darkness, and toward the light far infront of him. That was undoubtedly the center of Naruto's mind, where one could control of the body. But that was not what he was looking for.  
It was exactly as Inoichi had said in his reports. Fu continued to look around, and began feeling the walls, looking for the seam in the bricks, the one Inoichi had used to access the child's memories. His finger slid over an abnormality, and then dug into the gap. He pulled, and the wall began to swing back, exposing a door, a door that was bound in iron bars, and chained up.

Inoichi had made a small mention of this as well. Some of the boy's more dangerous memories had been deemed too dangerous, and sealed away. Part of his assignment was to find out if releasing these would break the boy, and to find out exactly what he had experienced.

Fu began to unlock the doors, and a small ripple spread from the door, and agitated the water around him, the ripples spread rapidly, reaching down the tunnel.

---------------------  
Naruto was laid back and slept, back against the fox. It had been awhile since he had something truly warm to sleep against.

The rapidly spreading ripple reached through the water in the cage, and stopped at Naruto

His eye's flew open, the knowledge of the act happening as clear as if he was feeling a knife on his skin. His hand involuntarily pointed in the direction of the intruder.

_"Somebody's here."_

_The Kyuubi turned a speculative eye toward the direction .**"A mind-walker? Anything in particular you want done about it?"**_  
Naruto nodded frantically."Yah, I don't want anybody in my head. Especially that blonde-guy. I don't like what they do, and I remember what they do now. Make him go away." Kyubbi nodded as well. **_"I could do this, but I need you to let me use a tail beyond the cage. Just say yes, and I'll do it. " _**Naruto shook his head up and down. "Yesyesyesyes, just make him go away." Kyuubi gave a small grin. This was working already. A tail shot out, and began to grow, stretching toward the disturbance.

* * *

The ripple began to return, building into a small wave, and then growing larger, as Naruto's natural reactions to having his mind invaded reacted. It was pretty much like a normal person's reaction. Except, Naruto was not the average person. The wave crested filling the sewer, and heading toward Fu.

Fu created a shield, and stood through the wave. It was bound to run out of strength soon, and then he could do as he wished. All he could see was, water, and the slight glimmer of the transparent shield that stood between him and the water. Faintly he could see an indistinct image, but he dismissed it as the wall.

The the tail wrapped around his midsection.

Kyuubi projected its awareness through the tail, and saw the man. He had blond-hair, and and was the intruder. The door he was standing by was proof of his intentions. Those were the _dangerous_ memories. The one had left, rather than integrating with the boy. Although the kit would not like it, if he saw those again while he was still young, it would damage him severely. That door would have to stay closed. But the one who opened it, he would find the sight not to his taste. There were things in there that would break grown men, and Root operatives were still men, despite their training. A nudge opened the door, the bars and chains falling away, for the thing that had the key. And the key was they red chakra the tail exuded.

The tail hurled him in.

Fu felt the tail heave around him, and then release. He felt the close proximity of stone walls around him, as he passed them, then a bright light. Then....

Pain.

And light.

He felt grasping hands around him, and looked up into the eyes of a man far taller than him. The scent of cheap whiskey permeated the air. He felt a warm liquid passing down his cheek. He felt his hand involuntarily raise and touch it, and bring it to his eyes. Dark, red blood dripped his fingers. He saw movement, and his eyes caught the sight of a broken bottle in the man's hand. The bottle raised, and then rushed down toward his head. A sharp cutting noise, and immense pain, then only darkness, filled with continuing pain, the sharp slicing sounding periodically, punctuated with a piercing scream each time the glass was driven into flesh. A scream which he faintly recognized as his own. Then, man's yell, and the distinctive **_swooshthunk_**, of a sword being driven into flesh, and the last dying gaps, coming from himself, or the man, he knew not, his eyes saw nothing.

A rush of colour and suddenly he could see again. He was in a bed, just waking up, and saw the flash of a Konoha headband. Standing above him, was a Leaf Ninja, kunai in hand. The kunai rushed down, and planted itself into his chest. Agony coursed through him, and the kunai withdrew being readied for another thrust, when a senbon flew through the window, and buried into the ninja's eye. he agonizingly heaved himself over, and looked through the window, to see a brown-haired ninja with a backward Hiate on his head, fighting three.... no.... four, other ninja, all wearing the same headband. A tap came from his shoulder, and he looked over to see a masked ninja with gray hair. A sharp chop his neck, and he was sliding into unconsciousness, his last sight the ninja jumping into the battle, and he thrust a hand covered in electricity through the back of one of the enemy.

Another flash of light, and he was inside a locked room, with a large man, and a smaller one. Greasy black hair hung down to the tall man's shoulders, and he eyed the boy with a strange look in his eye, a look that made Fu strangely uncomfortable, his body instinctively recognizable it. It was a predatory look, that of a hunter examining a choice piece of meat. A bag of jingling coins was exchanged, and the smaller man left the room. The slight chunk of the sliding bar was terribly loud in his small ears, and the look in the man's eye further justified his next action of crouching into his corner, and protectively raising his hands above his head.  
The man moved, and casually flung him to the floor, and smashing his head to the boards, and placing his right hand on the back of his shirt collar, while his left held the boy down. A ripping motion, a belt being undone, and seconds later, Fu's own private hell came into being.

More memories followed, some at varying ages, other at the hands of various people, the crimes and tortures diverse. Sometimes, he was saved, other times.... not.

When he crawled back through the door's exit, he barely felt the tail that grabbed him, and hurled him from Naruto's mind.

* * *

(Outside, in the hospital.)

Torune was in a near-panic, although his face never showed it. Fu had suddenly begun screaming, and had woken up the hospital staff, which Torune had to laboriously hunt down, and knock unconscious, and he wasn't sure if he had gotten them all. Then, Fu began to have convulsions. Now, the convulsions had stopped, and Fu began whimpering, softly moaning out. "No.....no...no.....no.." It was beginning to even unsettle Torune's nerves. Soft steps sounded within his hearing, and he had to make a quick decision, the mission had failed, and Fu was incapacitated. It would be impossible to escape carrying him, and Fu could always be rescued later. He settled on his choice, and vanished from the scene.

Through the door came another blond-headed man, one Inoichi Yamakana, he had come to check up on the boy, on the order sof the Hokage, and had found the hospital staff strewn through the hall, unconscious. He headed for the highest priority patient, the Uzumaki kid. He saw the scene that stood infront of him, and drew several conclusions, one that the person lying on the bed, beside Naruto, was experiencing a case of 'mind-break', a condition in which the person has experienced too may traumatic events, and had lost control of their higher mental capabilities. Second, that the man had blond hair, and was probably a member of the Yamanaka Clan, third, the boy appeared unharmed. He walked to the window, and set of and So.O.S flare. It would bring every ninja in sight of the flare to the hospital.  
He took another look at the man, and sourly connected the dots. Either someone had been sent to kill the boy, or place some command in his mind, or something similar to it. Whatever the reason, there had been a reaction to it, and it had broken the man. Going inside the boy's mind was no longer an option for ANYONE, If he could break a mind-walker, and from the man's equipment, a ninja mind-walker, one who looked fairly experience, it was not something he wanted anyone from his clan to chance.

The boy's mind was off limits for now. He sighed, he would have to report this to the Hokage as well.

(Back in Naruto's mind.)

_**"Well. I'd say I handled that fairly well."**_ Kyuubi said, looking at the sleeping boy,  
"Yeah... sure.... nice job.... dad..." The boy said groggily, and curled up into the fur. Kyuubi lightly draped a tail over the boy.  
This plan was working better than he had ever expected it.  
No-one saw the narrowed red eyes of the fox, as the darkness of sleep closed in.

* * *

Danzo narrowed his eyes at the mission report. Not only had they failed, Fu had been captured. Fu would have to be retrieved before the Hokage got to him, and that meant it must be done soon. He assigned a few ROOT operatives to the task, and left it, planning for various consequences of this occurrence. They had a machine that could bring Fu back to sanity, but it would take some time to work. In the meantime, they would have to keep far away from the boy, and make sure no connection could be seen between the boy and himself.

Torune would be going back undercover for awhile.

* * *

The suspect in a cell, and the Hokage informed of current affairs, Inoichi felt safe in going back to his house. He immediately called together a Clan Meeting, where he informed the other members of the happening, and his decision that Naruto's mind should be declared off-limits, for safety purposes. The other members immediately agreed, having all seen the effect of mind-break.

His daughter clung to his side, sleepily, she asked. "What was that, daddy?" He patted her on the head. "Never-mind, Ino, Its just daddy's business, go back to bed."  
She giggled and ran off, undoubtedly to dream about boys. He closed his eyes and winced. His two friends already teased him about having a daughter, and they would continue to do so when she grew up. He could only imagine the ribbing he would get when she started to reach puberty. Or what her already shrill voice would do to his ears.

A loud thump signaled his daughter's impact on the bed, and he finished up the meeting, and headed to bed himself.

* * *

Author's note.

Sorry I took so long to do this new chapter, but I've had less time on my hands than usual.

Obviously, you don't want to hear about my problems, suffice to say, I've had less time.

On the bright side, the chapters are getting bigger, and the story is progressing faster. I predict I will be on the Naruto general storyline by the next chapter.

More reviews will encourage more time spent on chapters.


	5. Rescues, and the Rival

_**Disclaimer: I don't own the work of Kishimoto or Naruto. If I met him, I'd congratulate him for making such a good series, and maybe warn him to tone down Duck-butt a bit. Otherwise, thumbs up. Don't sue me. I'll ignore it.**_

_"Talk damn you!"_ The impact of Ibiki's hand against Fu's cheek sounded throughout the room. A soft whimpering came from Fu's lips, and his head rolled to the side his tongue lolling out of his mouth. "Nothing." Ibiki said, and put the glove back on.

"Wellllllllll..... Can I have him? I'm sure I could get him to-" A black-haired woman leaning in the corner began.

"Anko, we have already discussed this. We need information from him, _and_ we have to present him to the council. I'm sure you could do the first in normal conditions. But not the second. Now, I'm not sure _I_ can get anything out of him." Ibiki said irritatedly.

"Now I'm going to have to let Inoichi handle this, and you know how much I hate letting that guy take over my interrogations! Him and his fancy mind-jutsus, bah!" Ibiki snorted.

But you have to admit, they are effective." Anko pointed out.

"I'm not denying that." Ibiki said gruffly, "Its just unsportsman-like! No interrogator and prisoner relation, just wham-bam, I-know-the-inner-most-workings-of-your-mind-now. Its......" He fished around for a word.

"Cheap." Anko interjected, with perhaps a bit more laughter in her voice than she intended.

Ibiki spun around, about to roar at Anko for interrupting him, when he saw the twitch from the corner of his eye. Something sharp, and pointy, with a white tail, and.... SHIT!!!!!

He tackled Anko to the ground. "Down, NOW!" The surrounding staff had enough time to look up, and the ones that were well-trained enough, threw themselves to the ground.

_**BOOOOMM!!!!!!!!!**_

A huge explosion rang out, and covered the room in smoke. Various shadows flitted through the smoke, and the thud of several bodies hitting the ground reached Ibiki's ears.

A justu from one of the staff, and the smoke dispersed. It was faint, but Ibiki caught the sight of several headbands on ninja's fleeing form the room.

Sound, Earth, Mist, Vegetables, Sand.

Too many headbands. The significance of this did not escape his keen mind. Truth within lies.

The significance of the empty chair where Fu had sat was not lost on him either. He rolled, taking Anko with him, and then he heaved them both up from the ground.

"Did anyone get around to getting a tracking seal on him?!" He demanded.

From the blank and shocked looks of his staff around him, it was not so.

_**"GOD-DAMNIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"**_

The remaining glass in the room shattered.

* * *

The bed Naruto was on began creaking as Naruto fidgeted on it. He'd been waiting for the doctors to notice him awakening, but none of the medical staff noticed.

Finally, he grew tired of waiting, and impatiently began taking out the I.V. and the various electrical devices attached to him.

It was then that the doctors noticed that their patient was up and moving.

It was an amusing distraction for Naruto to dodge various nurses and doctors with sedative syringes in their hands, until someone finally got him in the back.

Then it was back to sleep-time.

Eventually, the Hokage came in, and checked in on him. Even though they used the full dose of sedative, he was still up at that time. The Hokage discussed with him about what happened, and reassured Naruto that it would never happen. Naruto sat through the explanation, interrupting only once to ask, "Does this mean I can't be a ninja anymore?"

Sarutobi assured him that it would have next to no impact. "It would however, be unwise to take further chance on those..... inauspicious days. In the future, please take more care." The Third sighed, and sat up. "I must leave now. The demands of Hokageness call me-" Sarutobi watched as Naruto's face slid into an involuntary grin. His own lips twitched. It had been deliberate, and the grammatical mistake achieved its purpose.

"And the mountains of paperwork have sent me a written challenge, and demand a duel to the death. I intend to make them regret the day they had ink put to them." He left, Naruto's howls of laughter following him, and a secret smile peeking out from under his hat.

_**'Funny old man, that one." **_The fox's voice came from within Naruto's head.

Naruto looked around wildly, before finally realizing the voice's origin.

"Oh, so its you." He said.

_**" 'So its, me.' Something wrong? And the title, is 'Father', or 'Dad', or even Daddy. You, or Ewe**_, **_is the term for a female sheep. A difference I will trust you to see. Refer to me by it again, and I will noogie you ferociously when you sleep."_**

A phantom touch brushed across Naruto's head, causing him to absentmindedly scratch it.

"Hey, lighten up! I just thought it would be unwise to start calling you Dad in front of all these people."

_**"Speaking of that, I think I noticed the doctors starting to give you odd looks. I would suggest you stop speaking aloud. Try thinking your words."**_

"You mean-"_ Like this_? Naruto thought.

_**"Exactly. Now, for the second move, I suggest you high-tail it out of here, before they start ****using you as a test subject for some experimental drugs.**_"

_Y'know, I remember this one time a doctor tried something like that-_

_**"Yes, I was kind of there. It was funny when he slipped and accidentally injected himself. Even funnier when he tried to walk up a wall afterward. Now, how about getting out of here, I think I see some scalpels being sharpened."**_

Naruto promptly skedaddled.

* * *

He was leaping across rooftops to get back to his apartment, when a voice reached his ear.

He looked over to see a crowd of other children, gathered around two girls hugging each other for support. One was blond, another had pink hair.

The mob of children was yelling at them.

Every so often, a stone would fly out, and strike one of the two.

"Big-head!"

"Stupid blonde!"

"Billboard brow!"

"Good one there, Steve."

"Thought so myself, Tom."

"Now back to what we were doing.. PINK-HAIRED-.... ...."

A pause.

"What goes best with that?"

"......wench?"

"...... That doesn't work well either."

".....Cooties?"

"Not evil enough."

"....Slut?"

"............................................................................. I don't know you anymore, Tom."

"..... Pink-haired forehead girl?"

"Close, but I need something more.."

"Stupid, Pink-haired foreheaded girl?"

"Good job, Tom."

"STUPID PINK-HAIRED FOREHEAD GIRL!!!"

"DUMB BLONDE!"

"YOU SAID THAT ALREADY!"

" I'M OUT OF IDEAS!"

"THROW ANOTHER ROCK!"

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"AAAAAHHHH!!!!!"

* * *

_**"You know you want to."**_

_I can't get involved, they're just girls anyway. Who cares?_

_**"You do. I can feel the conflict within. I know you have it within you. **_

_I can't, why should I care? Its not like I even know them._

_**Search your feelings, you know it to be true. You can't just stand by and watch.**_

_How would you know?_

_**I've been with you all of your life. I know what you are like, and what you long to do. Give into the longing, and follow the path.**_

_Path, what path?_

_**You'll know. Now, go forth, and act like the boy I know you to be.**_

_........ crap._

* * *

_CRACK!_

_"MOTHER-"_

A shingle shattered on head of the boy named Tom.

As one, the crowd turned toward the figure on the roof.

Catching Naruto in the act of withdrawing his arm from the throw.

He slipped as the shingles began to come undone, and landed in a heap amongst the crowd.

"ITS THE MONSTER BRAT!"

"GET HIM!"

"Crapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrap!"

Naruto began to run, the mob hot on his heels. He noticed something coming out of a nearby alley. His fingers went together in a sign.

"HENGE!"

A poof of smoke later, and out of the cloud scrambled a small, white puppy.

It ran off into an alley, pursued by the crowd.

Once the crowd was gone, and inconspicuous sandal poofed into Naruto. He poked his head around the corner, and saw the crowd had dispersed.

Only the two girls were left, the pink-haired one still faintly sobbing.

He walked over, and offered a hand. "I think they're gone now, so, come on, time to get up."

The blonde one took his hand unhesitatingly, but the pink one took a little more coaxing.

When they both got up, the pink one asked. "Wait, didn't you henge yourself into the dog? How are you still here?"

"I didn't. I henged myself into a sandal. They only thought I was the dog."

The blonde girl spoke up, "So, what are they going to do with the dog?"

Naruto gave a small laugh, "I've seen that dog before, it should have little trouble outrunning them. He should be fine."

* * *

A wolf-like dog stood infront of the crowd, the small, white dog cowering behind it.

The wolf-dog spoke. "So, young Akamaru here tells me you've been chasing him, and for no good reason. That doesn't sound like a very wise thing to have done, does it."

Steve answered. "Um, no, it doesn't. We'll, uh, we'll be leaving now. Come on everybody, lets go."

They turned, and another dog jumped to block their path.

The wolf-dog, Kuromaru, enunciated his words carefully, and clearly. "Oh, no. You are not going anywhere. Indeed, you are going-"

His lips came up, baring his teeth.

_"Nowhere."_

* * *

The girls began brushing some dirt off themselves. Naruto offered to walk them home, but they declined.

He turned to leave. The pink-haired one called out. "Hey! Just who are you anyway?"

Naruto turned around and struck a pose, fingers high in the air, spread in a V sign. He answered. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and someday, I'll be the Hokage! Don't you forget it!"

The girls blinked, and he was gone.

* * *

Somewhere, far away, a hermit called Jiraiya sneezed, then grumbled as it caused his head to some into contact with a bed-frame.

* * *

_**Well done, son. Good work. You follow the path well.**_

_I don't follow your 'path'. I'm just doing what I think is right. Now, I'm going home to get some rest.  
_

**'And that, kit is where you are wrong.' **The Kyuubi thought, not transmitting his words to Naruto.

**'A true Gentleman, or Gentlefox, does not shout his status. He does not brag of his deeds. He simply does what is right, whatever the consequences, whoever the person. Against any odds, and without hope of reward. That is a Gentleman. And, it is what you have proven to be. Congratulations are due, kit. Not many take your path. This might make my plans harder...... Or, '** He thought, keeping his face perfectly still.** ' It might make them far easier.'  
**

The path home, was short, and the bed was welcoming. Naruto barely had the will to take one last look at the calendar before falling into unconsciousness.

Three more days, till the Academy opens.

Three more days, until he could become a ninja.

Three more days, until his life took another turn for the better.

"Hmm. I didn't get the names of those girls. Ah well, its not like I'll see them again. They look too pretty to be going to the Academy."

_Hmmm, maybe I'll ......................_

_*Snore*.  
_

* * *

.

* * *

The rooftops were the best and safest way for Naruto to get where he wanted to go, so he always used them.

So he found it very odd when he saw another blur going in the same direction as he.

The blur resolved itself into a semi-familiar form.

One Sasuke Uchiha.

Naruto attempted to make conversation along the way, but Sasuke's continuing silence quickly discouraged such things.

They eventually came to a chokepoint, with Naruto ahead and Sasuke attempted to push past Naruto. "Move aside, orange boy."

He was very surprised when Naruto shoved him back, and went through himself. "Bugger off, duck-butt." was his response.

Sasuke stood stock still. No one had ever said anything like that to him, since his family's death. Everyone had gotten out of his way, and acted respectfully.

This was...... refreshing. Perhaps he had found someone worthy enough to treat as a threat. As a rival.

Anyway, he had to get to the Academy. And perhaps a test would be in order.

He smirked, and rushed forward, passing the orange boy.

"Bet you can't beat me, orange-boy."

"You're on, duck-butt!" Naruto replied, and they took off, like an arrow shot from a bow.

* * *

"Hah....... hah..... hagh." Both of them were panting on the last rooftop before the Academy. Sasuke a tad more than Naruto.

"Last building.... idiot..." Sasuke got out, as he saw the other boy put out a huge effort.

"Gonna.....win..... you duckbutt.... bastard!" Naruto jumped on the end of the roof, and tensed his legs bringing his weight to bear, and released it in a huge jump.

_Crack!_

The sound of the shingle breaking underneath his feet rang in his ears like a voice that feel away into the abyss.

All the force he was kicking with, impacted on.... nothing.

_"DAMNIT!!!!"_

He feel into the gap between the buildings and landed on some bushes. Quick as a thought, he was up again.

But not quick enough. The black-haired boy was already at the school.

The bastard was _waving at him. _"Guess I win, _dobe." _(1)

"Damn you, Teme!" (2) was Naruto's response as he bounced off the walls and landed on the roof.

A roof void of a certain black-haired kid, who had already gone.

Naruto snarled, and jumped down to the front of the Academy, the weariness and exertion seeming to slough off him. His stamina was returning, and he began walking toward the door.

On the other side of the school, Sasuke trudged out from another set of bushes. He was still panting, and now had pieces of leaves and bark on him.

He had won, but he would be damned if he would show weakness to someone.

That race had been close, and he had won by dint of chance. He shrugged. Luck was a skill too.

But, he would have to get to class as well. And clean up. Luckily, he knew what class he was in.

* * *

Naruto was delayed in getting to class, having to find out which one he was in.

He knocked on the door, and it opened.

It opened to show a man teaching the class.

A distinctive scar crossed his nose, and most of his cheeks.

He was in the middle of speaking, and reading from a book.

Naruto went forward to apologize for being late. "Heh,heh, Sorry for being --"

A finger went up, signaling the boy to shut up.

Along with the words, "Shut up."

Naruto was a bit offended at this, but kept silent.

The teacher finished the paragraph he was reading to the rest of the class, and turned to Naruto.

"Late, are you? Well, its good that you--"

A slight _whoosh_ and a creak, and Sasuke Uchiha was sitting in his chair.

The teachers arm flashed back, and the book he was reading from flew from his hand, and conked the boy on the head.

Sasuke's head flopped to the table, unconscious.

The teacher didn't even turn around.

"Thought you could sneak into _my _class, didn't ya? Didn't work out too good, did it?"

The teacher turned his head a tad.

"Oh, so its _you._ The Uchiha. Sorry about that. Don't be late again. And don't try and sneak in, either."

The head turned back to Naruto. "Hmmm, at least you were up front about it. Don't be late again. Go sit down.'

Naruto's mouth hung open, just a tiny bit. "Ummmmm, ehhhh, sorry about being late again."

The teacher glowered at him.

The eyes.

_The eyes._

It was like they were staring into his _soul.  
_

**"Go. Sit. Down."**

Yipe.

"Yes sir."

Naruto hurried to an empty seat.

The teacher asked a nearby student to throw back the book.

The black-haired boy he woke with a well-aimed rubber band to the head.

"You. Wake up."

He turned back to the board.

"For those of you who missed it,"

He looked pointedly at Naruto and Sasuke.

"My name is Iruka. Umino Iruka. You will either refer to me as Iruka-sensei, or Sensei."

He opened the book.

"I will skim over what we will learn.

I am here to teach you to be ninjas. You will be learning a multitude of things. Proper trap-setting, human anatomy, field-expedient weapons. By the end of your time here, when I ask 'What is the most appropriate place to cut a person's throat, and have them bleed out the fastest?', you will, by God, shout out 'The Cartoid Artery.'

When I ask you to name the Hokages of Konoha, you will answer, ' Hashirama, Tobirama, Sarutobi, Minato, and then Sarutobi again."

"If you graduate, your new sensei's will teach you the fancy jutsus, and the tried-and-true practical techniques.

_If_ you graduate.

Do I make myself clear?"

There was a stunned silence.

**"Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear."**

It was not a question.

"YES, IRUKA-SENSEI!" The whole class responded.

"Good."

He turned back to the chalkboard,

"_Now, how the devil did that go again?_ Ah, yes."

He scribbled down some locations, and some dates.

"First, we will be determining your level of combat ability."

Silence.

"For those who can't understand that. We will be having a tournament."

He pulled out a parcel from under his desk,

"The winner will receive these."

He opened the packaging.

Chocolate chip, and butter-nut cookies.

A particular kid, one of the more..... _Hefty_, one could call it, suddenly changed into a more feral appearance, his eyes lighting up, and his frame angling toward the front.

_"Cookies."_

"Yes, Choji. Cookies." Iruka said, putting them back under the table.

"Gather outside. I'll introduce you to your physical training teacher, Mizuki."

* * *

"So, let me get this straight.....

_You lost him?_"

The Hokage was not happy with Ibiki and Anko.

Not at all.

"Sorry, sir. But, we have reason to believe that it was a force inside of Konoha who instigated the operation."

The Hokage's interest was piqued, although he was still annoyed.

"Go on." The Hokage was stroking his beard, eyeing Ibiki, like a steak that was a bit overlong in the freezer.

Perhaps inedible, and deserving of a swift trip to the trash can.

Ibiki swallowed.

"They tried covering each of their operatives in different headbands, trying to get us to make the decision that it was our own people who did the thing, since it would obviously be the enemy trying to confuse us. But they knew we would think to the next level, and realize that it was instead an enemy force who was trying to make it look like our own forces did this. But I have a hunch that the truth is on the level after that. It was our own forces, pretending to be enemy forces, since it would draw the conclusion that they were enemy force pretending to be our forces."

Anko's head was starting to hurt.

Frankly, so was Sarutobi's head.

"I..... see. Ibiki, I want you to find out who did this. Enemy forces or not."

Ibiki and Anko turned to the door.

"And the both of you."

The two looked back.

Sarutobi was smiling.

_This was not good._

"You both owe me a favor for this. Someone else would have fired you both."

They gulped and nodded. Sarutobi dismissed them.

He turned to his paperwork.

How he wished it could manifest an avatar of all its papery evil.

So he could burn it and dance over its smoldering corpse. And laugh.

He went back to these pleasant thoughts, and was in the middle of a good daydream, when a stack of paper fell on him.

* * *

(Out in the hall.)

Anko picked one of her nails.

"Well, that went pretty good. We didn't get fired."

Ibiki shook his head.

"You simpleton, that went much worse than we expected."

Anko poked Ibiki in the shoulder.

" 'Simpleton', eh? And what do you mean, _worse?_

Ibiki replied. "He said we owe him a favor. I'd rather get sent out on an A-rank mission that owe him a favor. I remember the last person who owed him a favor, and the Hokage didn't paticularly like him. I think you do as well."

Anko stopped, and shuddered, he face going even paler.

"You don't mean....?"

"Yes, _him._ And worse, the poor bastard eventually brainwashed himself into liking his job." Ibiki said.

Anko looked off into the distance.

"I hope to hell we don't end up with a similar job."

Ibiki joined her in staring at the wall.

" I just know this will come back and bite us in the ass."

* * *

Mizuki, it turns out, was a pale-haired man, slightly on the wiry side, and while not particularly cheerful, he was not too much of a hard-ass.

"Alright you lot. Get in a line. Shortest to tallest."

They formed up, and Naruto ended up second to last. "Ah. You." Mizuki said.  
"Odd that you're here. Now, we're going to have a tournament. First we start with....... you, and...... you."

He pointed at a kid with hair strangely reminiscent of a pine-apple, and another one, with red marks on his cheeks.

"Inuzuka Kiba, and Nara Shikamaru. Step up. The rules are, you fight till one of you cannot. Unconsciousness, forfeiting, all these are legal. No shots to the eyes."

The two boys went forward, and stood face to face.

"3.......................2..........................1...........START!!"

Shikamaru did something most strange. He put his hands together in a strange seal, and sat down.

Kiba was surprised by this, and stepped back, then he began to circle the sitting boy. HE began to tense up, ready to charge.

Shikamaru came out of his position, an stood up. He began string blankly at Kiba.

Kiba roared and charged, his unnaturally long nails poised to strike.

He rushed, coming closer and closer to Shikamaru.

He was a foot from the boy, and his hand slashed down......

Shikamaru sidestepped, and kicked at Kiba's shin.

Kiba fell, propelled by the force of both his own charge and gravity.

The back of his head impacted directly on the ground.

The cold, hard, unrelentingly solid, ground.

Thunk.

He was out cold.

"Winner, Shikamaru."

Kyuubi commented inside Naruto's head.

_**"Ouch."**_

-----------------------------------  
The fights went on for some time, the better part of the morning, when it came to a match between a young girl of pale complexion, and very dark hair.

"Hyuuga Hinata, You're up next!"

Strangely enough, to Naruto at least, this girl had no pupils.

He remarked upon this to the others.

"Wow, that girl doesn't have any.... black spots.... in her eyes."

Of course, the duck-haired boy took that opportunity to mock him.

"You are pretty stupid, dobe. She's a Hyuuga. They don't have pupils. Its part of their bloodline. Besides, she's a girl. Its not like she can do anything. She's small, weak. Probably as stupid as you, too."

Naruto began getting a bit defensive.

"Hey, that's unfair. She's a girl sure. Probably not as strong as us, but I bet if she punched either of us in the nose, she'd break it. And I don't think she's stupid. And.... Hey! I'm not stupid either, teme!" Naruto said, and glared at the boy.

"Sasuke Uchiha! You as well." Mizuki called out.

"Hn, yes, you are. And I'll prove she's weak, when I wipe the floor with her."

Sasuke stepped forward, and faced Hinata, each taking up their respective families stance.

While not too visible, Hinata's Byakugan activated, and she zeroed in on the boy.

Sasuke's arms went up, suited for redirecting attacks, and offensive opnching.

"Begin."

* * *

Cliffhanger no jutsu.

I kinda half-finished the chapter.

I meant to have more in it, but I found it was taking too long. I'd already passed 4500 words, and I had so much more to write.....

But still, the next chapter is upon us. ans soon, the sixth chapter will be out.

Personal notes;

In many fics, relationships are already set.

I.e. Shikamaru and Choji are friends, Hinata stalks Naruto, Sasuke's a prick, etc.

I never liked that this was assumed, so I have decided to give a reason. Or more of a reason, in Sasuke the prick's case.

If you get the references, that great, if not, watch more movies.

(1) Dead-last.

(2) Bastard.


	6. The Fight, and Why?

_**Disclaimer: I don't own the work of Kishimoto or Naruto. If I met him, I'd congratulate him for making such a good series, and maybe warn him to tone down Duck-butt a bit. Otherwise, thumbs up. Don't sue me. I'll ignore it.**_

Hinata stood in her stance, and neither moved.

Stillness.

Stillness.

Boring.

"Somebody MOVE!" Iruka yelled.

Hinata looked toward the loud voice instinctively. She had trained with her father for most of her life, and he always demanded that she look at him when he was speaking.

In that brief instant, Sasuke attacked.

A fist flashed toward Hinata's face, and glanced off her cheekbone.

She spun, off balance, and the back of her hand caught the Uchiha a light tap across the belly.

Sasuke immediately grew angry, this damn girl had dared to touch him! A Hyuuga girl, at that!

His father and the others of his clan had always held the Hyuuga Clan as a lesser Clan than them, and for one to touch him.....

Unacceptable. If for nothing more than the memory of his family, this must not be allowed.

He would break her.

His leg lashed out, hitting her in the knee, and the training he continually took to catch up to his brother kicked in.

He moved faster than kid should, as faster or faster than a Genin, and punched her in the face, square on, as she was falling.

Hinata had some training as well, and she recovered, hand twisting on the ground, momentarily supporting her weight as she spun back up to her feet.

Her open palm lashed out, heading for her chest.

He caught it in mid-air, and pulled her forward.

He savagely twisted her wrist, and a loud crack filled the air.

Her eyes glazed with pain, he yanked her over his shoulder, and threw her on the ground.

His foot slammed into her side. He could feel the ribs flex unnaturally to take the force.

Her foot came from the side and awkwardly attempted to move him away.

He kicked her in the knee, and he heard a small pop as her leg suddenly bent the wrong way.

He jumped up, and landed on her chest with a knee.

In his adrenaline-filled state, the slight shouts behind him went unheard.

He raised Hinata's head by her jacket front.

"Never."

_PUNCH!_

_"ATTACK!"_

_PUNCH!_

_ "ME."_

_PUNCH!_

_ "AGAIN!"_

Each word was punctuated by a brutal punch to the face.

A hand grabbed Sasuke's collar, and flung him off.

Mizuki crouched over Hinata, and attempted to keep her out of shock. "Now now, look at my finger, keep track of it, focus on it, don't let you attention wander.... MEDIC!"

Iruka sent one of the assistants to get a medic. He turned to Sasuke, and picked him up by his shirt.

"Now, I want you to listen very carefully, you little punk. You may be young, you may be the last of your clan, you might have had your family slaughtered in front of you, but...."

He slammed Sasuke into a nearby wall.

"YOU NEVER DO THAT TO ONE OF YOUR COMRADES! YOU COULD HAVE KILLED HER!"

Sasuke managed to get out.

"But she touched me! And she's a Hyuuga, she shouldn't have-"

Iruka slammed him into the wall again.

"THAT IS NO EXCUSE!"

Iruka raised him up to eye level, and spoke in a very calm voice, an abrupt switch.

**"You will never do this again. Or anything like it. Do you understand me?"**

Sasuke nodded frantically.

Iruka continued, ignoring the boy.

**"I don't think you do."**

He lifted higher, and higher, the boy's feet clearing his waist. Sasuke could see fires in Iruka's eyes, burning into him.

"You stay away from that girl. I don't want you going near her. Ever. Except for a formal apology."

Sasuke began to relax as Iruka started lowering him.

Iruka stopped mid-way, and held him.

"I'm keeping my eye on you now, boy. I will not tolerate further actions of this nature. Be a model student, _because I am watching you._"

Iruka dropped him.

"Sasuke wins. Next fight. The medic should be here soon. You, and you, your turn."

* * *

Naruto watched, fists clenched.

_That was..... mean. _He thought.

**_Mean? I think the word you are looking for, is brutal. Perhaps a tad psychotic._** The Kyuubi commented.

_Brutal, then. _Naruto thought. _That shouldn't have happened. To anyone, let alone that girl. She looks so... small... fragile. She didn't even get a chance to hit back. I'd still be pissed if he did it to someone else, but to her..._

_**That's just a sort of male protection instinct, I think. Not many enjoy the sight of a woman getting beaten half to death. Otherwise, it would happen far more often.**_

_**But the question is, what are you going to do about it? Thought without action, carries little meaning.**_

_Well, I'm going to go kick his ass, what did you expect?_

_**That's the Naruto I know. Straight to the point, and just a little stupid. **_**How _are _you_ going to kick his ass?_**

_I'm...... going to punch him and kick him until he gives up, in other words...... kick his ass?  
_

_**After what you saw he did to that girl? It iss not logical that you would be able to 'kick his ass'. Not logical at all.**_

_Meh, other people's logic doesn't mean that much to me. I'm just going to go do it._

Hinata was seen to by a medic ninja who came from the hospital. He went over to Hinata, popped her leg back into place, and re-located her wrist. He healed her face, and told her she was to eat well for the next few days.

In specific words. "I don't want you eating like other girls your age eat. Eat healthy portions, don't go light on meat, and vegetables. Healing borrows against your body's reserves, so now you need to rebuild them."

Naruto went up, and tapped Iruka on the arm. "Iruka-sensei, can I go against Sasuke next?"

Iruka stared at him for a moment.

"What? You want to go against him? But you saw what he just did-"

Naruto shook his head.

"I still want to fight him."

Iruka closed his eye, and winced at what he imagined happening.

He sighed. "Far be it from me to fight against stupidity. Fine. Next fight Uchiha Sasuke versus..."

He looked at his ledger. ".....Uzumaki Naruto."

The two went into the make-shift ring that had formed from previous fights.

* * *

The class looked on the sudden fight, and some began calling out, teling Sasuke to beat the crap out of the blond-kid.

Some called out, bets, wagering candy on the fight.

Hinata merely watched, he head still ringing barely making out some of the words.

She'd been trained in lip-reading, but she still wasn't a master at it. Barely one word in three came through.

* * *

Iruka yelled out, "Fight!"

Neither moved. Sasuke returned to his fighting stance. Naruto did nothing.

Naruto asked the other.

"Teme, why would you do that to that girl, Hinata?"

Sasuke did not relax his stance.

He snorted. "I did that to her because she's a Hyuuga, and she dared to touch me. My family told me to never let them touch one of us. They're a lesser clan, and punishment is due if they touch us."

Naruto spat. "Eeh. Your family were.......er..... what was the term..... _brutal_ bastards then. If that's what they did to people who touched them, its no wonder somebody killed them. "

Sasuke shook in fury.

"_How... how dare you! You know nothing about us!"_

He charged forward, disdaining any style, and delivered a roundhouse punch to Naruto's face.

Naruto didn't even flinch.

He'd had worse.

He smiled at the other boy. It was not a very nice smile.

_"You're wide open. TEME!"_

Naruto grabbed hold of Sasuke's arm, and his right fist came up in an uppercut that lifted the Uchiha off his feet.

Sasuke recovered in mid-air, and skidded back.

The boy charged forward, and the other met his fist with the back of his hand, moving it aside. He stopped the charge with hsi shoulder, and kneed the yellow-haired boy in the mid-section.

He jumped up in the air, and planted his other knee in the same place. He used the momentum to turn around and land on the boy. The boy violently sat up, tossing off the black-haired boy. He shook his head, clearing out the fuzz, and charged forward again.

The black-haired boy attempted the same block, and this time, when the fist slid down the arm, the shoulder-charging Uchiha met with a straight fist to the face. They both fell back, the Uchiha to feel his broken nose, and Naruto to rub his fist.

Damn, that stung.

The fox was shouting encouragement, **_"Nice shot! You just might be able to do it! Now, attack! ATTACK!"_**

Naruto charged forward swinging a leg from the left. Sasuke braced his arm, attempting to block it. He did not expect the crushing impact that followed, and skidded to the right.

Naruto followed up with the kick, and punched at Sasuke. Sasuke smoothly dodged it. While Naruto's strength and stamina were greater than Sasuke, Sasuke had training.

He grabbed the other boy's arm, and heaved, unbalancing him. He surged past Naruto's guard, and planted an uppercut to the boy's chin, mimicking the one Naruto had given him.

Sasuke, however, did not have the strength the other boy did, even at his age. The blow, which had knock him from his feet, jarred Naruto, but left him open for a return blow.

Naruto's instinctive reaction was one that came very easily to him. He arched back his head, and smashed it into Sasuke's already broken nose. The headbutt sent the slightly smaller boy crashing back, landing on his ass.

Now, Sasuke was getting angry. The Hyuuga had pissed him off, and he had demolished her. He'd been rebuked for it. Harshly, in his mind. Now, however, his ire rose.

It was one thing to be _attacked_ by someone from a Clan that your family had always thought of with derision. It was quite another to be taken _a beating_, from some clanless little brat, who didn't look to have the least training.

Although, he thought, as he ducked under a blow that ruffled his black hair, this clanless brat had excellent reflexes, and lots of stamina. Not to mention, as he was unable to dodge a kick, tremendous _strength._ He was thrown back a few feet, and settled into a crouch. His arms hurt, and he was getting a headache from the pain of his broken nose.

The other boy was covered in bruises, had blood leaking from his nose, and was bleeding from a few cuts as well. This cemented the thought in the black-eyed boy's mind. Perhaps this _would_ be a worthy rival.

But now, it was time to end this. A simple finishing move he had learned from another ninja would work. He had analyzed the other boy's style, and was confident that it would work. The strength of Naruto's style..... was that he had none.

This made him uniquely dangerous to Sasuke. As a Uchiha, he had been trained to analyze an opponent's style, essential for copying when he would eventually obtain the Sharigan. Naruto had no style, so it was impossible to anticipate his next blow without years of experience. Which, Sasuke did not have. Sasuke could not predict where his moves would go.

But, the _weakness _having no style was great, as well. It boiled down to, well....... _He had no style. _He had no formal training. He was full of openings. And while Sasuke could not anticipate where the opening would occur, he could take advantage of one he might see.

He came out his crouch, a standard right punch leading the way toward Naruto's face. Naruto blocked him with crossed arms, then attempted to hit him cross-wise with the back of both forearms. Sasuke ducked, and brought back his head to avoid the knee that headed for his face.

Arms akimbo, and one leg off the ground, the move he had seen would work perfectly. He tensed his legs, and swept one forward, knocking Naruto into mid-air. He followed the boy, leaping up, and turning him around, landing on Naruto's back, as Naruto's front impacted on the ground.

He proceeded to yank Naruto's head up by the hair and repeatedly pound it into the ground, using both hands. After a few times, Naruto began to lay still. Sasuke stopped, and jumped back.

Naruto didn't move.

* * *

The two boys were unaware of the silence that descended on the class during their fight.

At first, there was the usual banter, and snickers. Then, once the fight picked up, silence began to fall.

The students were watching, and jaws were falling slack.

------------

Sasuke staggered a bit, as his fatigue caught up to him. The adrenaline had blocked out most of his pain, and the adrenaline was fading. He turned to Iruka, and looked tiredly at him, though bruised eyes. He began walking toward him. "I think I win, sensei."

"Sasukes Uchiha is the-"

Iruka paused in mid-sentence. His eyes widened.

Sasuke stopped. _No. No. Not possible. Not even probable. This is not happening. I hit him hard enough to do **more** than knock him unconscious. Do not turn around. DO NOT TURN AROUND!_

Sasuke's body turned anyway.

Behind him, not two meters away, Naruto was getting up.

_THIS IS NOT HAPPENING!_

Sasuke's mind boggled.

Naruto came to his feet, panting, and bloody. Dirt encrusted his face, and a few stones looked to have been driven into his flesh.

He staggered toward Uchiha. Sasuke stood paralyzed, his body refusing to move.

Naruto looked at him, head down, and angled toward the other boy. He turned his head slightly, looking at the still-bandaged Hinata.

His legs strengthened. His steps were stronger.

"I'll never lose to someone who does that." He said, voice quiet.

"Not to someone who would do that, for no reason." He continued, voice growing louder.

Naruto hobbled the last few steps. He placed his hands on Sasuke's shoulders, bracing his arms.

"This is for what you did to that girl. DON'T EVER DO THAT TO SOMEONE _YOU _CAN BE FRIENDS WITH!" He screamed out the last line in rage, and pain, and sorrow in his voice. Rage, for what Sasuke did. Naruto had known each of those injuries inflicted on Hinata intimately, and he knew just how much they hurt.

Pain, from the fight he had just had, and sorrow. Sorrow, because he knew he could never be friends with any of these other kids, never. Not in a million years. He had no chance whatsoever. None of these kids would ever associate with him, willingly. And this _boy,_ this talented kid, who probably had never been beaten once in his life, who fought so well, it made him look like a doddering idiot, had just crushed the chance to become friends with one of them, as easily as squashing a bug.

Someone tossing away something, something beautiful, something he would never have a chance to have.

It made him see red, with total, all-consuming anger.

He drew back his head. Then, brought it forward with terrifying swiftness.

_CRACK!_

Forehead to forehead. He pulled his head back.

_SQUISH._

Naruto's forehead struck Sasuke's nose. Again, he withdrew his head.

**_THUD!_**

Naruto's forehead hit Sasuke's chin.

Naruto slid down Sasuke's form, hitting the ground. Out cold.

Iruka cleared his coughed.

"Ahem, perhaps I was a bit pre-emptive in saying it, but Sasuke is still the-"

Sasuke made a small, confused sound in his throat. He slumped backwards. Unconscious.

Iruka massaged a piece of his forehead.

"Ughhhhhhhh. Y'know what? To hell with it!" He raise his hand and declared in an official voice.

"Both unconscious. Both are disqualified. NEXT!"

* * *

The class looked at the two boys as they were carried away by Iruka and Mizuki.

They began muttering among themselves.

"Damn, that kid actually fought one-one on one with the Uchiha?"

"Yeah, fought him to a standstill."

"Aren't the Uchiha like the best Clan Konoha ever had?"

"Other than the Hyuuga, they were. And they were some kind of police too."

"And that kid, anybody know if he's part of a Clan?

"No. he's just some kid."

"He must be some kind of lunatic then."

"Freakish."

"Yeah, he's gotta be a freak to do that."

"Maybe he's nuts. I don't wanna get hurt. I'm staying away from him."

"Yeah, me too."

"Ditto."

* * *

Hinata watched anxiously as the two fought, she could make out some of the sounds, and she heard a little bit of the conversation. When the end came, she concentrated with all her might. She made out every word of his first sentence. She was too stunned to remember the rest.

_ "This is for what you did to that girl."_

He did it for her? But...... no-one had ever done anything like that for her, and he had...... he'd actually fought the Uchiha for her. He'd seen what the boy had done to her, and was willing to fight him?

It was stupid, it was idiotically naive, it was..... tremendously brave of him. Her heart gave a small flutter. And after what the other boy had done to him, he still got up? She doubted anyone else in the class would have gotten up after having their face pounded into the dirt.

She watched him carried out of the field by Iruka, while Mizuki dragged the Uchiha out, and Naruto as well. They set him against the wall. She shakily moved off the bench, and slowly started her first step toward him. She opened her mouth to call out thanks..... and nothing came out. Her vocal cords refused to move. She sat back down, and stared at the boy attempting to work up the courage to say hello.

It didn't come to her.

* * *

Several fights later, the two final contestants stood in front of each other, ready to battle for the deliciousness of the box of cookies.

Shikamaru faced Chouji.

He looked at the other boy, who was bearing bruises, and looking at him with steely determination. If he fought, he would probably win.

Probably.

And it would leave him exhausted. With no energy to enjoy the cookies.

He grimaced, his father's saying coming to him. "Troublesome."

He pinched the brow of his nose, and shook his head. "Iruka-sensei, I forfeit. I don't want the cookies that bad."

Iruka arched an eyebrow. "You sure? You have been doing pretty well, so far."

Shikamaru began walking out of the makeshift ring. "Yes, I'm sure."

Iruka turned to the now overjoyed boy. "I guess that means you win, Chouji."

He handed him the box of cookies. "Enjoy."

Chouji took the box, and lifted it up to the sky with both hands.

"**COOKIES!"**

Iruka shook his head.

"Yes Chouji, cookies."

* * *

Naruto finally woke up, near the end of class. For some reason, the other kids were avoiding him. Except for one girl, who just kept staring in his direction. He mostly ignored it. Perhaps she was staring at that black-haired kid who was still unconscious beside him.

Iruka was showing the kids how to throw kunai.

Naruto joined in.... and completely missed most of them.

10 minutes before the end of class, Iruka passed out a paper, and pencils. He said to circle the answer to the question that were asked.

Naruto had poor reading skills, so he just randomly circled one of each.

Iruka was handed back the tests, and said he would show the results tomorrow.

The parents of the children came to pick them up.

No-one came for Naruto.

He sat outside, and watched them go.

He found a tear leaking from his eye, as he watched. There was no one for him to go back to.

**_"Hey, you forget me so quickly. I'm going to have to do something about that, someday._**"

The voice of the Kyuubi said, inside his head.

_You're.... You're right. I do have someone now._ He thought back.

He wiped the tear from his eye.

_I've.... never had that before. No one's ever come back with me, The Hokage takes me out sometimes, but only sometimes._

_**Well.... Buck up! You said it yourself. You have me now. And I must compliment what you did earlier. I much approve. Although, I can feel your headache from in here.**_

Naruto rubbed his forehead.

_Yes, I think I 'll try not to do that in the future. Lucky I've got a hard head._

_**Yep. So, lets get back, I think its time for you to learn a few things.**_

_Wait._ Naruto thought._  
_

He saw the black haired kid begin walking off.

_Isn't someone picking him up?_

_**I don't know. How about following him?**_

_Sounds good._

They followed the kid to what looked like an abandoned complex. The boy spoke a password, and dripped a drop of blood on the door.

The door opened and he went inside. A few moments later, and a light appeared in one of the windows. Shadows moved in the window, showing that they boy was practicing fighting.

_**I can't see anybody else in there.**_

_Neither can I._

_**He must live alone. He's the Uchiha. I remember you said that his entire family had been killed.**_

_I....I did, but... I thought he'd be adopted by some other Clan or something, not....... this._

_**Hearing about something, and see it for yourself are two different things. This is one of the hard lessons life has to teach. You know how he feels now. This is called empathy. **_

_So.... he's like me? Almost like how I was?_

_**Almost. You are close. There are several key differences. He saw his family killed in front of him. He had a parent growing up. And you..... you have me.**_

_Close, eh? I feel different about him now. He doesn't seem quite so much like a...... a bastard. He's just... lasing out._

_**You'll find that, as you get to know someone more, you begin to understand them. You understand them, and you can sympathize with them.**_

_So, the more I know someone, the more I'll learn bout them?_

_**Someday, I'm going to have a word with you about tautology, but close enough, for right now. Now, we have to go. I'm going to show you something, it would be better to do this back at the school.**_

_Alright._

* * *

"Hokage-sama! This is unacceptable work!" Iruka was waving Naruto's test paper. "Its like reviewing the two legendary Stupid Brother's tests!" He let his hands drop back to his sides. "And the kunai throws! He's more likely to hurt himself than the enemy! Even Shikamaru got a better score than him, and he fell asleep half-way through both exercises! I mean-!"

He laid the paper on the Hokage's desk. "Look at this! 'What do dogs eat?" HE ANSWERED GRASS! GRASS! And 'What price does the smith store sell kunai at?' He answered 'I don't know.' Any aspiring ninja should be able to answer that one in a heartbeat! Whay are you telling me to still train him!"

Sarutobi sighed. "To be fair, I have seen dogs eating grass. And there is a very good reason that he does not know the local price of kunai."

Sarutobi leaned forward, and beckoned for Iruka to do the same.

"You see, I have it on very good authority, that he has never been to the weapon shop."

Iruka's body stiffened in shock.

"What? Is he stupid? He wants to be a ninja, but he's never gone near a weapon shop? Hokage-sama, this only reinforces my point, this kid should never have even considered being a nin-"

Sarutobi interrupted him. "Perhaps I should rephrase. _He has never been allowed near the weapon shop._ Does that clear it up for you a bit?"

Iruka spluttered in mid-sentence. "W-Why? Sure, he's the.... vessel, for you-know-what, but he's not the thing itself. And the people at the orphanage are taking good care of him, right? I mean, I saw he's pretty good at fighting, excellent reflexes, but for for anything else I could swear he's stupid, or somewhat.... slow."

Sarutobi closed his eyes. His mouth quirked up, and he gave a small chuckle. " 'Good reflexes', eh? Heh, I would think he gets that from his father."

His chuckle immediately vanished, as he contemplated his next words. "However, I am slightly disappointed in your information gathering skills. I would have thought you'd at least know the housing situation of one of your students. The..... I hesitate to say people, at the orphanage were....... abusing him in ways I do not see fit to speak about outside of the interrogation room, or a mission debriefing. Suffice to say, I was forced to remove him from the orphanage."

Iruka blinked in surprise. "So, he lives on his own? At his age? He's not even 10 yet! That's incredible... but cruel."

"Yes." Sarutobi replied. "But most people don't seem to see that. They merely see the Fox in his belly. Any punishment is too light, in their minds."

He sat back in his chair. "Now Iruka, I'm going to show you something. I want you to look at me, specifically, my eyes."

Iruka did as he was told.

And almost jumped back.

Had he been a dog, his ears would have flatted against his head. As a human, he had to settle for his neck hairs violently stretching themselves straight.

His heart seized.

When he looked into Sarutobi's eyes, he saw hate.

He saw loathing.

He saw something...... else. Something that he couldn't put a name to. But it filled him with terror.

Then, it melted away.

He let go of the breath he had been unknowingly holding.

"What.... was.... that?" He gasped out, trying to regain his breath.

Sarutobi sat quietly for a few seconds.

"_That_... was the look that boy, Naruto, has to see everyday he walks the streets. The look he sees when he attempts to go to the stores necessary to become a ninja. It is a look that I have pondered long nights over. I have been able to put it into words that you can understand."

He steepled his fingers.

"It is a look of hate, and loathing, yes. But anyone can be hated, or loathed. But there is one thing that adds to it, makes it... unique. It is the thing that made you instinctively back away. It is the look in the eyes, that say, _you have no right to exist. That you offend the very air you breathe. _That just by _being_, you taint everything around you. Imagine, if you will, what if would feel like to have that look pointed at you from the very beginning. They think even Orochimaru, damn his miserable soul, has more of a right to exist than Naruto. Orochimaru, who killed, and still kills, countless people in his experiments, contributed, at least in the beginning, to the village. Contributed, and liked, more than Naruto ever could, or ever would be. _Orochimaru._"

He took a breath.

"If I could, I would wipe this from the village like the cancer it is. But it is a cancer that hast infected everyone. Only an individual can choose how they act. So, Iruka, I'm giving you this assignment. You will watch the boy, along with the customary observation team, and see exactly what he has to go through everyday. Then, your charge is done. You are free to act as you wish regarding the boy."

He waved his hand.

"You are dismissed, Iruka. Act as you will."

Iruka nodded, and left.

* * *

"Well, that was pretty cool, what Naruto did." Ino said to Sakura as they sat under a tree, gazing at the sky.

"Cha, it was." Sakura said, combing her bangs over her head.

Ino reached out a hand, and moved the curls away.

"You shouldn't do that, it makes you look like a ghost." Ino laughed and shook her head.

"But... my forehead! Its way too big, everyone teases me about it." Sakura said.

"You still shouldn't hide who you are." Ino poked her in the shoulder.

"Besides, I'll tell you the secret way to get accepted amongst the girls here." Ino put a finger up to her mouth, the sign for Sakura to be quiet.

"The secret, is to get a boy! Preferably one of the cooler ones."

Sakura screwed up her eye in thought. The turned to Ino.

"Then who would be the coolest? That Naruto kid?"

Ino laughed. "Him? No, he looks to be the bubbly and cheery type, no-one will will look twice if someone manages to pick him up. It has to be someone.... with bad qualities, someone you can change, and present to the other girls!"

Sakura looked confused.

"But, who's like that?"

Ino smirked. "The best one for changing I've seen so far is the boy Naruto fought against, Sasuke! He's silent, he's bad, he broods. He had his family killed in front of him, so he's bound to have some issues. He's prime material for changing!"

Sakura nodded, more to herself than Ino.

"Then he's the one I'll get."

Ino gave a small laugh, and poked her in the shoulder.

"But he's the one I'm after. You can't have him."

Sakura laughed along.

"We'll just see about that, Ino, may the best girl, win!"

* * *

Naruto looked at the stick in his hand, and at the tree a few meters away from him.

_You want me to hit a specific part of a tree, with the pointy end of this stick?_

_**Yep.**_

_But... that's really hard!_

_**You're going to have to get used to it. You don't have any kunai. But you still need to train at throwing things.  
**_

_Alright.... lets get this over with._

Naruto hurled the stick....

....and completely missed the tree.

_**We are definitely going to have to work on your hand eye co-ordination.**_

* * *

Shikamaru lay in his bed at home, looking up at a cookie he was holding in his hand.

---------Flashback (No Jutsu)_**------------**_

_Shikamaru was sleeping after the test had been passed out. He had answered about three questions, then fell asleep._

_He woke up to someone poking at his shoulder. It was the stocky kid he had forfeited to._

_"What are you doing....erm, Chouji?"_

_Chouji smiled. "You let me get some cookies I know you're smart, you probably could have won, but you forfeited anyway."_

_He brought out his other hand. There was a cookie in it. "Thanks, Shikamaru. I'd like to be friends, would you?"_

_Shikamaru was about to answer, when Iruka called for the tests to be handed in. He lost Chouji in the hustle and bustle._

_--------Flashback (No Justsu) End------_

Shikamaru bit into the cookie, and munched.

"Eh, why not. Sure, Chouji."

He rolled over, and sleep took him.

* * *

While training throwing sticks, he never noticed the black-haired, white-eyed girl watching him.

He never noticed her following him home, or even when she left to go back home.

* * *

Author's note:

Sorry for not updating for so long, I've had little of the enormous free time I had when writing the original chapters.

Still, I think this catapults my story into 20,000+ words.

Comments are welcome.


	7. A Night In Town

_**Disclaimer: I don't own the work of Kishimoto or Naruto. If I met him, I'd congratulate him for making such a good series, and maybe warn him to tone down Duck-butt a bit. Otherwise, thumbs up. Don't sue me. I'll ignore it.**_

_**The next day, Naruto was back to throwing sticks at a tree. Although, today, he was throwing something different.  
**_

_**Thunk.**_

_Sliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide._

_Plink._

The rusty kunai hit, almost sinking in....

And fell to the ground.

Again.

For what seemed like the thousandth time.

He'd found it in the forest, while searching for more sticks.

It was almost night-time.

_**Once! At least once! PUT THE DAMN THING INTO THE TREE!**_

Kyuubi was shouting inside Naruto's head, loudly enough that Naruto had to wince.

It was also making Naruto angry, as he was frustrated as well.

He growled deeply, walking forward. He scooped up the rusty kunai.

With an uncharacteristic roar, he thrust it into the tree.

The kunai began to fracture, but he continued stabbing with it. Ignoring the metal splinters entering his skin in his rage and frustration.

Eventually, only his fist was left, the kunai disintegrating with repeated contacts.

He still pounded his fist in the tree. He stopped when he noticed that he was leaving blood on the bark. He leaned against the tree, breath catching.

He body racked itself with sobs, as his continuous failures came crashing down on him.

"I can't.......... I can't even throw a kunai into a tree. " He cradled his fist, which was in serious pain. But pain was a constant companion. Sometimes the word barely held any meaning to him.

The ground gave a soft _tink_ as one of the metal splinters forced itself out of his hand, and landed on a piece of the broken kunai.

"Even.... even.... even some of the kids that are younger than me can do that. **Most of them**."

He slammed his other hand into the tree, fresh waves of pain hitting his nerves.

"Not once."

**_"NOT EVEN ONCE!_**" He screamed out.

He stopped hitting the tree, then he pushed off it.

"I.... can't even be a ninja if I can't do this. Its like a fish not being able to swim. If you can't throw a kunai, you won't pass the tests, if you can't past the tests, you can't be a ninja. And if I can't be a ninja..... I have nothing else. Nothing. I'm just... useless. Just..... nothing. Worthless."

He turned, and began to walk away.

A quiet voice stopped him in his tracks, and reminded him he was not alone.

_**"Is that it?"**_

He froze in med-step.

"What?" He asked.

_**I said, is that it? By which I meant, are you done whining?"**_

"Whining? What... what do you mean whining?"

_**"I mean, sniveling, blubbering, whimpering, wallowing in self-pity**_,_** take your pick**_."

"I'm not whining, I ... I just can't do it.'

**_"Words of a coward. I didn't think you were like that, kit."_**

"I'm not... I can't do it."

**_"Who are you, boy?"_**

"I'm... Naruto Uzumaki..... an academy student."

**_"And what do you wish to be?"_**

"Naruto Uzumaki, Hokage."

**_"And tell me_,_ kit, do you think the Hokage got there by giving up? Did he snivel his way into his position?"_**

"No.. he was chosen by Niidame, for his bravery." _**  
**_

_**And are you going to get here by sniveling?**_

Well... no...

_**Are you going to slink your way into the heights of power, like a rat sneaking in under the cover of night?**_

No....

_**Will you cry and weep your way into your goals? Like a loud child given a toy just to shut him up? Hmm?**_

"Stop mocking me!" The kid was getting angry.

_**"Good! Remember that anger, and use it. Erase those feelings of self-pity. Those are for weaklings, and cowards. For humans.**_

"But, I'm human, aren't I?"

_**Do the others acknowledge you as human?**_

No.

_**Are you human to most of them?**_

No.

_**Then use that. Become a beast, a monster.**_

"But, a monster is a bad thing, right?"

_**Kit, what is a monster?"**_

"Something evil, and scary?"

_**"Sometimes, but what humans consider a monster is not specifically that. A monster, is anything not human, or even humans who display traits that are not human.**_

_**And think on this. What traits that have we seen so far are human?"**_

He counted off, slowly.

_**First, the villagers;**_

_**They displayed hate, fear, loathing, anger. They attacked you, for no other reason than fear. Human, to the very core.**_

_**Second, the students.**_

_**They were indifferent. Then you fought against their best. For a reason the rest didn't concern themselves with. And when you stood up before he did, what did you find?**_

_**They were the same. Fear, loathing. They shunned you. You were an abnormality. A freak. You weren't one of the group.**_

_**But, let us be fair. Third, you have.... well..... the Third.**_

_**He is a kind old man. He took care of you, gives you an allowance. He has an interest in your development. He gave you a place to live. It seems he honestly likes you.**_

_**Among these three, which do you think is more human? The students and villagers, or the kind old man?**_

_**The villagers and students, are the humans, of course. That is the truth. The old man displays traits that are unlike other humans, so what does this make him?"**_

_**A monster. They just don't call him that.  
**_

_**But if he is a monster, why do they like him? Why do they respect him?**_

_**Because, sometimes, humans admire inhuman traits.**_

"So, being a monster, can be good?"

_**Yes. It can.**_

The Kyuubi enjoyed this. Human logic was so easy to manipulate.

_**And self pity is also a tool used by humans. Have you ever seen a squirrel whine about not being able to find nuts?**_

"No, but I don't think I could understand the squirrel if it whined..."

_**It doesn't matter, beast and monsters don't feel self-pity. Why? Because it doesn't help. It holds you back. Get rid of it. Never invoke the feeling again. If you have a goal, work toward it. Don't ignore just to feel sorry for yourself.  
**_

"But, I always fail_**. **_The others are better than me. They handed the test papers back today, and even the guy who slept after a few minutes, and didn't even finish the test, got a higher score than me_**. **_I'm stupid, everyone avoids me, and..... I'm scared. Is this how its always going to be? Should I just quit now?"

They Kyuubi paused, then responded.

_**"Yes, you are. But, my son is not a weak, sniveling coward. If you are stupid, study. If you are weak, grow strong. If you feel scared, fight anyway. Don't blindly accept what you are given by life. Fight for something better. Improve. Be something better than what you are.**_

Naruto sat down, mulling on Kyuubi's words for a few minutes.

"So, what you are saying is, I should work to be better? I shouldn't whine, I should just...... not give up?"

_**Exactly, kit. That is the gist of what I was saying.**** Not quite as elaborate, but it should do just fine.**_

"So, now what should I do?"

_**Well, I do believe it is time for you to go home**_._** I think we'll stop with such depressing training for the time being. Tomorrow, let's try studying. Maybe we can get you to answer at least a few questions right on the next test.**_

"Okay, okay. You can stop mocking me about that soon."

_**Oh, I don't think so. It'll take a while for you to live that one down. "What does a dog eat?" Why, grass, of course!**_

"Hey! That's just 'cause I saw that little white dog eating grass one time."

**_Yes, but its not what they eat all the time!_**

"I've never seen them eat anything else. Those..... Inuz.... Inuzu....... beast guys won't let me get near them!"

Naruto began walking back into town, the two teasing each other.

* * *

Hinata had fallen asleep watching Naruto train. The sharp snap of a stick woke her up, and she blearily watched Naruto leave.

She yawned, and stood up. It was late, and she had to be home soon. She left as well, keeping out of sight.

* * *

Iruka watched the two from up in the trees, keeping perfectly silent.

He was unsettled.

The boy he had followed this night was a different one than he had seen in school.

Gone was the ever-happy attitude.

Missing were the determined look, and unceasing grin.

They were replaced with a completely different attitude, and concerning actions.

Naruto displayed loneliness, and despair, even going so far as _talking to thin air.  
_

And from what he had seen, _thin-air was talking back._

He watched as the boy held a full conversation with someone, Iruka himself only hearing half of it.

It was a troubling thing, perhaps a sign of insanity.

That, however, was a thing he could not deal with. He was not a therapist. Many ninja's talked to themselves.

It was a lonely job.

He was concerned about the training that night_._

The boy had found a rusted kunai, and attempted to sink it into a tree. He failed every time.

Iruka was a bit puzzled at that. Some of the throws were accurate enough to sink in. All were strong enough.

He'd also been puzzled by why the Hyuuga heiress had followed the boy, but again, he was no therapist.

He began to consider trying it though. It was annoying not being able to guess motives for such situations.

When the boy began talking to himself, he had been quick to let a sleeping gas filter down and put the girl to sleep. He'd woken up he up later, by breaking a stick sharply above her. Still in a sleepy state, she didn't question who broke the stick, assuming it to be Naruto.

He jumped down when he was sure they were gone. He walked over to the tree, and drew one of his own kunais.

He thrust it into the tree.

It didn't go in more than half an inch.

Curious, and intriguing.

He brought out an all-purpose manual, which he was required to carry as a teacher.

In it was listed all the tree types of Konoha. He flipped page after page, until he found an entry that matched the tree's description.

He looked back and forth between the tree and the book.

"Heh, hah," It started with a small chuckle.

Then he burst out laughing. He brought a hand to his forehead, and looked at the tree.

"Only that kid.... only Naruto! Only he, haha, would find one of six ironwood trees, in a forest of a thousand different trees. Hehahah haha, and then try to use it for target practice!"

He eventually stopped laughing, and followed Naruto, though a slight chuckle played across his lips.

* * *

He felt a phantom presence settle comfortably around his shoulders and back, as the Kyuubi curled a mental tail around him in a hug.

_**Anyway, good job tonight. I think a nice cup of that noodle-stuff is in order.**_

"Its called Ramen."

_**Call it whatever you want. I can't taste it, but you sure like the taste. Go wild.**_

"Thanks, I'm feeling better now, I can't wait to have that stuff agai-"

_**Kit, duck!**_

A bottle sailed forth from an alleyway, and nearly grazed his head. It would have smashed against it, if Naruto had not ducked.

_**Forward!**_

Naruto rolled forward, another bottle smashed whizzed through the air where his head had been.

_**Jump!**_

Naruto jumped into the air.

Another bottle that was aimed for his head flew toward him.

And bounced off his tailbone.

"_MODDERPOCK!_!"

Naruto yelled out, as he landed on the ground. He rubbed his backside.

"That _really _hurt!"

He ran to a building, and began to climb up it, narrowly dodging other bottles

He finally got to the top, and was safe.

He gingerly rubbed his tailbone.

"When you said to jump, I assumed it would mean I would dodge it." He said sourly.

_**............ I meant jump**_ **higher.**

Naruto looked around, and stretched. He began walking on the rooftops, and walked towards his home.

* * *

Iruka looked silently at the three men gathering in the alley. He stood on the roof, and listened to them curse not hitting the boy properly.

Although, they did congratulate the one that hit him in the tailbone

"Good shot!" One of them called out.

"Yeah, too bad you didn't kill him!"

Iruka eye narrowed in cold, hard, hate.

They clapped each other on the shoulder, and strolled toward the end of the alley.

Iruka appeared behind them, and knocked all three to the ground, with three precisely placed strikes.

Unnecessarily painful ones, of course.

"I don't have the authority to kill you, since I'm a mere chunin. But I can and _will _make your life VERY PAINFUL."

He dragged them to the wall and leaned them against it.

He drew a permanent marker.

"Normally, if you were just drunk, and yelled out some inappropriate comments, I'd draw on your face. Its customary."

He uncapped it.

"But you're not that drunk. And you were trying to deliberately hurt that kid."

He leaned down, and held open the lid of the man's eye.

The man was unconscious.

"So what I'm going to do, is make your life a nightmare for the next week, as your body absorbs the ink."

He drew carefully on the inside of the man's eyelid, covering the entire inside. He did this for all the men.

"You'll have to keep your eyes open all the time, if you don't want to feel the excruciating pain as the acidic ink interacts with your eyes. But, eventually, you'll have to blink. Then, I think you are going to scream. Loudly."

He jumped up, and landed on the rooftop, and ran along after Naruto.

And agonizing screams followed him, as the first man woke up.

* * *

All throughout the next hour, Naruto ranged around Konoha, receiving the same, cold stares whenever he bumped into someone. Once again, under the advisement of the Kyuubi, he attempted to enter some of the equipment stores that were open late.

And once again, he was rebuffed. Sometimes with things thrown at him. Some were deadly, some were..... disgusting. And some were oilcloths........... on fire.

That was one weapon-maintenance shop he wouldn't visit again anytime soon.

Several more things were thrown at him, but mostly, people just avoided him.

Sometimes, his sharp hearing picked out indistinct whispers, said barely after he was out of eye-sight.

He finished his rounds of Konoha, and went back to his house. Kyuubi told him to pick up one of the logs of firewood outside the house, and bring it in. He grabbed it, and went inside.

* * *

Iruka shook his head, and silently cursed. _Damn, damn, damn. I thought I knew some of these people._

There was Tom, who worked at the weapon repair shop, he and Iruka had known each other for a few years, and he considered Tom an acquaintance, close to a friend.

Tom, who just threw an oily rag, at one of his students, he even took the time to reach into his pocket and light the damn thing.

Then there was Komara, who ran the clothes store that served ninjas.

She chased him out with a needle that could be classified as a deadly weapon, being nine inches long.

And Yemira, and Hafisa, the list went on.

Even Steve, Konoha's only mime, picked up the vibe and stayed away from him.

Dammit, he had to work with some of these people on a daily basis!

Already, the list of stores he wasn't going to shop at had increased by half.

_Still, seeing this, I'm amazed. Why hasn't the boy cracked yet? This is some pretty shitty treatment, half the people I know would have just moved by now._

_Ah, and there lies one problem. Konoha can't afford to let him go._

_But if people keep treating him like this...._

_Bad things are going to happen._

Still it was refreshing to see at least one Konoha ninja with some sense.

While some other stuff was being thrown at Naruto, Genma Shiranui, one of the chunin exam proctors, used senbon to deflect the objects off their course, making them miss Naruto.

Iruka decided that tomorrow, Naruto would receive some help. He'd make sure the ticking time-bomb that was Naruto was successfully defused. It was his duty as a Konohagure Ninja

And if it happened to go along with his own personal desire, that was just a bonus, wasn't it?

He scurried off to buy some things from stores that wouldn't leave a bad taste in his mouth.

* * *

Naruto sat in his bed, and looked at the wall. Then turned back to the log Kyuubi had him bring in.

"So, what do you want me to do with this?"

_**I want you to visualize your chakra, and reach out and touch it.**_

"Chakra?"

_**Oh....Aughh. Nobody has explained this to you yet, have they?**_

"Nope."

_**Okay....**_

_**Chakra.... is basically life-force. It is energy which comes from your spirit and body. The body and spirit energy mixes to create chakra. Everyone has it. What we are going to do is work on your ability to release it. I need you to visualize your chakra reaching out, and touching the log. **_

"What does it look like?"

**_It looks like energy does, of course._**

"Energy? What does that look like?"

_**What? You don't know what energy looks like****? It looks like electricity, I believe**_.

"Electricity?"

_**Gah. Ummm... Let's say it looks like flame.** _**Liquid _flame._**

"And what color is it?"

_**Ummmmm.... Chakra is a different color for everyone.**_

**"Alright, then, mine is orange!"**

_**No! Orange is my chakra's color. Your color is something else.**_

"Ahhhhh, why can't my color by orange? Its my favorit-"

_**NO! MY COLOR!**_

"Damn. Alright, then.... blue, I bet my chakra's blue."

_**Maybe, maybe not. Just imagine it, you're getting tired, bedtime soon.  
**_

Naruto concentrated, and imagine a blue fire reaching out from his hands to touch the log.

He opened his eyes.

Nothing.

"Its not working."

He closed his eyes, and slid into bed.

"I'm going to bed." He announced.

**_Alright, goodnight, kit._** The Kyuubi called back, as Naruto slipped into dream land.

The fox chuckled as the boy lost consciousness, and dreamt.

For a second, just one second, a small, blue spot of chakra had crept hesitantly out of Naruto's hand, before vanishing back into the boy's hand.

_**Sleep, kit, sleep well. Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of your life, and interesting times are sure to follow!**_

_

* * *

_

_Incessant tapping filled the silence in Fate's office._

_Fate looked up from his desk, and stares at the fingers of his secretary._

_"Will you stop that?" He asked._

_"Sorry sir, its just that I'm confused, and my fingers tap when I'm stumped." The secretary replied, and stopped tapping her fingers._

_"And what are you confused about?" Fate asked._

_"In the world we looked up a few days ago, you slipped an idea into the mind of a powerful creature, but the idea is not having the effect that I predicted. The creature should be trying to corrupt the boy, not train him."_

_Fate looked wearily at his assistant._

_"Destiny, your province is making a pre-determined set of events that people will most likely follow, or are forced to. Some people may defy that. Mine job as Fate is to know what **will **happen. It is every mortal's fate to die, but their destiny is malleable. This boy was chosen for both a great destiny, and a deserving fate. He may choose to defy his destiny, but his fate is what it shall be. The fox will attempt to corrupt the boy through a tactic as old as pure corruption. He will attempt make the boy love him as a father, and then turn him against the village. That is his sweetest revenge. He will attempt to make the boy his own, and he might succeed in that goal. I cannot say more."_

_Destiny looked squarely at him. "Why not, if you know his fate, why not tell me?_

_Fate looked around a tad nervously. "There are outside forces at work that even **I **answer to, that prevent me from doing that. Suffice to say, that Naruto will do great things."_

_Destiny squinted at him. "Terrible things?"_

_Fate non-committedly replied. _

_"Great things." _

* * *

_Yay, another chapter._

_Sorry. I'm quite tired right now, but I've made a firm decision to type at least a hundred words a day for the next chapter._

_Should be done..... well... when it gets done._

_In the meantime, enjoy, and if possible, review.  
_


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